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ABOUT ME

A meal without wine is like a day without sun
A. Polise

Sono Antonio Polise e questa è la mia storia.

Tutto è iniziato nel 2013 quando dopo una mini carriera calcistica decisi di iscrivermi al corso AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier).
Qui trovai una vera e propria passione che mi incuriosiva di giorno in giorno sempre di più.

Dopo essermi qualificato sommelier decisi di trasferirmi a Londra e dopo sei mesi ebbi il privilegio di iniziare la mia carriera da sommelier in uno degli hotel più storici e lussuosi al mondo ovvero il Savoy, precisamente al Savoy Grill dello chef stellato Gordon Ramsay.

Da aiutante sommelier al grado più alto in soli quattro anni dove ebbi la fortuna di degustare i migliori vini al mondo, nonché frequentare alcune delle scuole piú importanti al mondo cioè il WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) e la London Beer Academy per poi arrivare alle fasi finali delle competizioni Miglior Sommelier d' Inghilterra 2016/2017.

Dopo mi spostai in un ristorante stellato nel cuore di Mayfair: il The Square con una lista di vini a mia disposizione di oltre 2000 referenze.

Dopo un anno decisi di tornare in Italia passando una stagione intera in uno dei più prestigiosi hotel sulla costiera amalfitana, ovvero Le Sirenuse di Positano avendo a disposizione una lista d'elite come poche in Italia di oltre 1500 referenze.

Poi con l'esperienza accumulata ho creato una mia metodologia di abbinamento cibo/vino attraverso le mie lezioni con un percorso di 20 lezioni divertenti ed efficaci.

It all started in 2013 when after a mini football career, I decided to enrol myself to the AIS (Italian Sommelier Association) course.
Here I found a real passion that intrigued me more and more day by day.

After qualifying myself as a Sommelier in 2015, I decided to move to London and after six months I had the privilege to start my career as a sommelier in one of the most historic and luxurious hotels in the world: The Savoy, precisely at the Savoy Grill of the starred chef Gordon Ramsay.

There, I found a team very professional and knowledgeable about all the sides of the hospitality, they taught me not just about the wine but also how to understand yourself and your potentiality.

Started as commis sommelier to the highest rank in just four years where I was lucky enough to taste the best wines in the world, as well as attend some of the most important schools in the world namely the WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) and the London Beer Academy, where I got my diploma as beer sommelier, and then get to the final stages of the Best UK Sommelier 2016 and 2017 competitions.

Then I moved as Head Sommelier in one of the most iconic Michelin stars in London situated in the heart of Mayfair: The Square with a wine list at my disposal of over 2000 references. An experience totally new for me in a new environment totally different to the Savoy, here I build up my team, create my wine list according to the guest preference, an iconic tasting menu with wine matching to develop, and all the backside operations.

After a year, in 2020 I decided to return to Italy for two reasons, one was my beer Apollo where the first production was made, and second to try the job experience in Italy so I spent a whole season in one of the most prestigious hotels on the Amalfi coast, Le Sirenuse in Positano having at my disposal an elite list like few in Italy of over 1500 references. Here as Head Sommelier, I discovered the difference to work in my birthplace, an experience that brought me to learn perfectly the Italian wines from north to south.

Then with the accumulated experience I created my own school in Italy The Polise Wine Tasting, with a new methodology of food / wine pairing through a path of 20 fun and effective lessons, for amateurs and professional who wanted to learn about the wine and food matching in a simple way.

When the Covid situation was slightly calm down in 2022, I moved again to London, to work as Head Sommelier in the restaurant of the celebrity chef Nusr-et, also known as Saltbea, here I have carried on with my studies at the Court of Master Sommelier as well as being semi finalist at the prestigious competition of the UK Sommelier of the Year so far.