Antonios Askitis

I’m a child of the hospitality industry. My father started taking me to ProWein more than 20 years ago. Honestly: at the beginning, I only went along to get drunk. But at some point, there was this one wine that truly moved me. I asked: "What is this?" And when the person I was talking to started explaining, I immediately felt it: where that came from, there was so much more to discover.

I then went into business for myself with a chef friend and ran the place for ten years – today, people would probably call the concept “casual fine dining.” The place was called D'VINE and had 15 Gault&Millau points. At the same time, I trained as a sommelier. Our wine list quickly grew to more than 500 selections, and the first awards soon followed. During that time, I also did an internship with Christian Bau (3 stars) – the head sommelier at the time is a very good homie of mine.

Wine is like music to me. Our world is so diverse – just like a record collection. I originally come from hip-hop, but these days I’m genre-free. Good music is good music – period. And it’s the same with wine. I’m not closed off to anything; I love tasting and I’m constantly discovering new things. Something doesn’t need hype if it’s simply good.

The role of the sommelier is very clear to me: we are guides. We help people taste something good – ideally in combination with food. What I really don’t like is the arrogant posturing of some colleagues. That builds walls instead of doors. I want to inspire people. To tell them: “Hey, it’s just wine – don’t be afraid!” I see myself as someone who opens the door to this complex but beautiful world.

And yes: a good sommelier drives sales – usually one of the most important contributions to the evening. But far more than that: we are hosts. We can build loyalty with guests, tell stories, create memories. That’s not just important – it’s a gift. And that’s exactly why I love this job.