Matteo Circella, named Best Sommelier in Italy 2021 by the MICHELIN Guide, is a successful sommelier at the family trattoria "La Brinca," where he manages a wine cellar with over 1,000 labels.
Matteo Circella, born in 1990, is a scion of the restaurant world. His mother, Pierangela, is in the kitchen alongside Simone, Matteo's twin brother, while his father, Sergio, has been working in the dining room for years. They are the owners of "La Brinca," a historic trattoria in Ne, perched on the heights of the Gulf of Tigullio.
A graduate in Economics and Commerce, Matteo's love for the world of wine led him to join the Italian Sommelier Association. In 2008, he started taking courses and later obtained the Diplomas of ONAV Taster and Professional Sommelier. Subsequently, he became a member of the Tasting Commission for D.O.C. Wines in the Province of Genoa, and in 2016, he won the competition for the best Sommelier in the Liguria Region.
In that same year, he returned to work at the family restaurant, managing a wine cellar with over 1,000 labels alongside his father. It was his father who passed on to him the philosophy that each label corresponds to a face, awakening Matteo's deep curiosity to discover the stories behind the bottles.
"He always gave me the opportunity to make choices, allowing me the freedom to meet producers, never missing a service. My goal is to share an experiential communication with our guests."
Matteo enjoys working with people, and he tends to choose producers who are mostly hands-on in their work. In 2018, he became the Slow Wine Ambassador for Liguria, and in 2020, the MICHELIN Guide named him the Best Sommelier in Italy for 2021.
"A sommelier doesn't just talk about what's in the glass but tells life stories. I would like the world of sommelier to be more accessible to everyone. It would be great to create a movement of people interested in wine because we must communicate it in the best way possible. Social media is good, but we need to intensify it all."
Matteo also manages an informative wine website and e-commerce platform called Vinové.
