Michael Stiel

It all started with cooking classes in Nuremberg, where he was born and raised, at the age of sixteen, just for fun. This, and above all the owner of this cooking school, had such an influence on him that he is who he is today. That sparked the flame—though just the first one, as it took another 15 years for him to be fully ignited. After moving to Berlin to study, finishing a degree in economics, and working in that field for almost five years, he decided to leave it all behind and change industries. A short break, planned for a year from Berlin to participate in the WSET program, was met with COVID. Well, tough luck—he had to stay in Nuremberg for another year. But he used this year to deepen his wine knowledge—through plenty of drinking ;) He continued applying for jobs in the hospitality industry and got the opportunity for an interview at Restaurant Horváth. And what do you know—after starting as Chef de Rang, he was given the opportunity, entrusted by Jeannine and Sebastian Frank, to take over Janine Voltaire's position as sommelier. Since then, he has been exploring and representing wines from the wild East. His wines are still in line with Sebastian Frank’s idea of focusing on the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Get your sip of wine at Restaurant Horváth in Berlin with him, and discover what's happening beyond what's familiar.