Anastasia Ivana Capraro is a sommelier who turned a simple seasonal job in Alto Adige into a profession rooted in wine, fine dining and the storytelling of territories. Since 2018, she has been part of the 2-Michelin-starred Fine Dining Restaurant at Hotel Castel led by Chef Gerhard Wieser, where she brings together technique, sensitivity, and a deeply personal vision.
Anastasia Ivana Capraro’s path begins far from the restaurant world. Born into a family of cooks, she pursued classical studies and later a university degree in Languages in Bologna, with the dream of becoming a teacher. In 2008, she moved to Alto Adige to improve her German—a stay she believed would last only one season.
To support herself in this new environment, she started working as a waitress, a role that felt natural thanks to her family background. It was during this period that she discovered how rich and welcoming this land could be, even though the early days were challenging. Then came the sentence that changed everything: “If you want to work in fine dining, you must understand wine.”
Driven by curiosity and determination, Anastasia enrolled in the AIS programme in German, completing all three levels. Yet theory alone was not enough. She sensed that the soul of wine could only be grasped through real encounters. So she began knocking on the doors of Alto Adige’s wineries—a simple gesture that opened up a world of sincere smiles, warm hospitality and shared stories.
Between barrel tastings, grapes picked directly from the vines, conversations at sunset and tales passed down through generations, she discovered that wine is more than a product: it is listening, patience, care. It is an encounter of people and destinies.
Her professional path continued to evolve, and for a period she stepped away from wine to work in sales and personal development. Then came a return that felt like fate: Signorvino. With them she travelled, tasted, discovered new producers, and deepened her understanding of Italian wine from north to south. It became a true school of life, nurturing her desire to share and promote the richness of Italian viticulture.
Yet something was still missing—the world of fine dining and food-and-wine pairing, the creative space where plate meets glass. In 2018 she joined the Hotel Castel and the Fine Dining Restaurant of Chef Gerhard Wieser, a chef known for precision, discipline and vision. It was a long-held dream: she used to imagine herself one day becoming his sommelier. Today, after completing her seventh season, she recognises how deeply this experience has shaped her professionalism, consistency and sensibility.
Her work revolves around three verbs that define her identity and method: listening, to understand those who produce; tasting, with curiosity and commitment; loving, because only with passion can wine—and the people behind it—be truly told.
