Head Sommelier at Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan and an enology graduate, Paolo Porfidio was crowned Best Sommelier of Italy 2023 by Identità Golose after making the Gambero Rosso 30 Under 30 list in 2020. He curates Wine List Italia and founded the movement “Somm is the Future.”
Born in 1994, Porfidio earned a degree in Viticulture and Enology at the University of Milan while completing all three AIS levels and ASPI courses, forging a service style that fuses cellar technique with front-of-house flair.
In 2016 he joined the team at the Excelsior Hotel Gallia and, three years later, became Head Sommelier of Terrazza Gallia, building a 1,000-label wine list focused on grower Champagne and Italy’s volcanic terroirs.
His critical acumen earned him Best Sommelier under 30 Gambero Rosso 2020 and the title of Best Sommelier 2023 in the Identità Golose Guide—praised for blending sensory rigor with engaging storytelling.
During Milan Wine Week 2024 he edited Wine List Italia, a crowdsourced guide that pairs “one wine for every moment,” compiled by 100 professionals and now a benchmark for Italy’s new-generation floor teams.
In May 2025 he launched “Somm is the Future”, an open movement aimed at “returning cultural centrality to the sommelier” via round-tables and wide-reaching mentoring, attracting more than 300 members at its Vinitaly debut.
Parallel projects include masterclasses—from vertical Barolo tastings to the “Drink Better Not More” focus—and collaborations with start-ups developing digital food-pairing tools, advancing an agile, inclusive style of communication.
Porfidio partners with chef Vincenzo Lebano, matching Mediterranean dishes with “ethical,” low-intervention labels and promoting the sommelier as a bridge between producer and guest, more storyteller than technician—his blueprint for the contemporary dining room.
