The Best of the Best: The Sommelier, The Fine Wine Director, and The Cigar Ambassador of The 2023 Golden Vines® Awards

To advise on the best for an event that celebrates only the very finest across all categories, it naturally follows that you go to the best, and the people below are all experts and leaders in their respective fields. Consumer experience is paramount to each of them. From fine wine to rare spirits to cigars, they are not only passionate advocates for the industry but committed to spreading that knowledge wherever possible, empowering others to make the best choice for themselves – whether it be a bottle to enjoy alongside a dinner that will linger long in the memory, an investment that will pay dividends down the line, or an experience that will be talked about for years to come. Big personalities with a big impact on their profession, we’re delighted to have them join us at The 2023 Golden Vines® Awards Paris, France this October.

Marc Almert – The 2023 Golden Vines® Sommelier

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious,” Albert Einstein once said of himself. Like Einstein, award-winning elite sommelier Marc Almert was once on the path to become a physicist, but his own passionate curiosity came to focus on the wine world instead, and science’s loss became our gain. Almert joins us for a third consecutive year after working alongside us in London and Florence, and we’re delighted to have him back. An extraordinarily talented figure in his field, he is known for his infectious enthusiasm and the openness with which he approaches every bottle, removing the elitism so common in the industry to bring his craft and expertise back to a true appreciation of the product. As chef sommelier of Switzerland’s renowned Baur au Lac & Baur au Lac Vins, Almert works with the world’s finest bottles day in, day out. In 2019 he was named ASI Best Sommelier of the World, and continues to garner accolades and praise from insiders, producers, and guests alike, playing the welcoming host with vigour, heart, and soul. He relishes personal contact, especially the feeling of satisfaction when his guests—after enjoying a fine meal—“head home smiling and satisfied.” 

Almert has been a member of the ASI Education Committee since 2019 and firmly believes in the importance of education about the craft itself and the importance of sommellerie, bridging his passion and expertise to a new generation of enthusiasts.

Clément Robert MS – The 2023 Golden Vines® Fine Wine Director

Like Marc Almert, Clément Robert MS joins us once more after previously supporting us in London and Florence. He now makes his way to Paris where he will once again be bringing his considerable experience, knowledge and palate to bear.

He started his wine career at an early age, attending the catering school in Le Touquet. At the age of 18 he moved to Angers to obtain his sommelier degree.

After a spell as trainee sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Loire, Robert moved to England in 2006 where he became assistant head sommelier of the Hotel Du Vin Brighton, and then head sommelier of the Hotel Du Vin Cambridge.

In 2009, he joined Summer Lodge Hotel as assistant sommelier and won the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’ International Young Sommelier of the Year competition, before being named UK Sommelier of the Year in 2013.  After working for nearly five years as head sommelier for Medlar restaurant in Chelsea, Robert then moved to the 28-50 group overseeing the wine buying department.

In 2015, Robert passed his MS and in 2019, he moved to Caprice Holdings Ltd where he would spend the next 4.5 years as Head Wine Buyer across Caprice Holdings & The Birley Clubs, building an impressive Wine Club for the group.

Robert most recently joined Melchior Club as Managing Director in 2023 and is also the Wine Consultant for the Retreat Hotel at The Blue Lagoon, Iceland.

Stefano Chilà – The 2023 Golden Vines® Cigar Ambassador

Stefano Chilà is the newest addition to our team of experts looking after fine wine, rare spirit & cigar experience for our guests. 

He moved from Italy to London in 2009 and worked in the hospitality business ever since, focusing on bars and spirits and building a formidable reputation across the industry as a leading light in some of the city’s best and most highly-regarded establishments. 

Over the years Chilà worked in various high-end places in Central London such as the Radio Rooftop Bar at the ME London Hotel, Novikov Restaurant, Chiltern Firehouse Hotel, and for the last five and half years at Annabel’s Private Members’ Club in Berkeley Square as the Head of Spirits, looking after the extensive selection of spirits listing close to 1,800 labels, which included over 450 whiskies, 650 agave spirits, and more, organising tailored whisky tastings for the members and bespoke Annabel’s private bottling.

Chilà is now working with private clients as a consultant and project manager in the luxury whisky market.

We are excited to have Marc Almert, Clément Robert MS, and Stefano Chilà donating their time to support The 2023 Golden Vines® Awards in Paris, France for our guests to enjoy an unforgettable, best of the best experience.