Andrea Agosta
Sommelier
From Florence to the World
When Andrea Agosta talks about fine dining, his eyes light up. At an early age, he discovered his passion for the world of high cuisine when his older brother took him to a Michelin-starred restaurant in his hometown of Florence for the first time at the age of 16. That restaurant no longer exists, but his love for good food and fine wine remains. At 19, he left Italy to explore the world. He worked as a mixologist in cocktail bars, later in the bar operations of upscale restaurants, private member clubs, and exclusive hotels. His journey took him to Ibiza, Barcelona, and London. The Italian is cosmopolitan, speaks five languages, and is at home in the world of upscale gastronomy.
After ten years abroad in Europe, his path led him to Berlin, where he became the second in command at the bar in the renowned Pauly Saal. This position proved to be pivotal for his future career, as he met three sommeliers there who took him under their wing. Thanks to his extensive experience in the bar area, he already had extraordinary expertise. “I’ve always had a great passion for good wines,” says Andrea. In addition to practical experience, he followed up with training and workshops. Andrea completed the European Sommelier School, and after the closing of Pauly Saal, he found his first position as a sommelier at Cookies & Cream and eventually landed at GOLVET.
Fine Dining as a Way of Life
Andrea is a lover of the finer things in life; he loves dining out and getting inspired. His curiosity and passion make him an extraordinary sommelier. He is always looking for new ways to enhance the experience for his guests. “Andrea is distinguished by hospitality and immense wine knowledge, loving the classics while having a tremendous knowledge of gastronomy. He has always seen himself as part of the team, integrates perfectly into our processes, and continually advances GOLVET with his personality and commitment,” confirms Executive Chef Jonas.
With weekly wine tastings and masterclasses, the Italian sommelier continuously educates himself. He is in close exchange with producers and dealers and likes to spend his vacations visiting vineyards. GOLVET gives him the space to freely develop and advance wine offerings. In restaurant manager Martin, who also has excellent wine knowledge, has found an ideal partner to exchange ideas and explore new paths. This has led to a new premium pairing offer at GOLVET recently.
In many restaurants, more exclusive wines are usually only available by the bottle. Understandably, as one wouldn’t want to have to pour away an expensive wine at the end of the night. Andrea convinced Martin to invest in Coravin, an innovative wine preservation system that preserves the taste and can keep a bottle fresh for up to a year. This allows Andrea to select fine vintages for the seven-course wine accompaniment. It also offers guests the chance to try and discover new wines. This addition gives GOLVET extra prestige and has been very well received.
Andrea plans to expand the offerings further in the future. Although the cellar is already well-stocked, he wants to enhance it with even more special wines and offer a broader range of specific regions. His personal favorite region is the Côte d’Or. “Of course, this is just my personal preference. I always make sure to offer guests a selection to find the right thing for them. After all, I want them to leave GOLVET happy,” says Andrea.
One can feel that Andrea has found his place at GOLVET and wonderfully complements the team. “The team is the heart of every restaurant, and it’s really hard to find such a strong team. Usually, you have someone who is new or doesn’t have much experience, but at GOLVET, everyone knows exactly what they’re doing. The kitchen is incredibly creative with its focus on quality and the origin of products,” Andrea raves. And for such a connoisseur of fine dining, this is truly a sign of outstanding quality.
