Name: Mr. Sebastian Giraldo Makovej
Nationality: Hungary/Colombia –
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Sebastian holds advanced Sommelier certification and has won the Best Sommelier of Hungary competition four times (2022 x 2, 2023, 2024) as well as the Best Sommelier of Poland, as a guest competitor.
Please tell us a little bit about your first encounter with wine & the wine industry. Did you have any particular mentors?
Wine has always been around. Both my parents are winemakers, so there were always a couple of open bottles of wine at our dinner table. My father, Antonio Giraldo, was the one who got me inspired and excited about wines, their stories, places and people. This led me to transition from a trained chef to a Sommelier.
What specific traits or skills should a Sommelier(e) possess for professional performance, and is there any person with those qualities you especially admire within the wine industry?
I admire too many people! The list would be too long. I have a deep admiration for people and colleagues in whom I see what I consider are the great skills of a good Sommelier: grace in the floor without wanting to be the center of attention; taking great care, with great respect, of the wine they are opening or dealing with; great listeners; deep knowledge and understanding of everything wine and beverage related: a knowledge the guest can only experience and listen if they want to, meaning, they are not overwhelming people with facts and knowledge at inappropriate times.
Finally, I really admire Sommeliers who do not forget that the most important person in the room is the guest and not themselves. And that doesn’t take wine (and themselves) too seriously! We do all this studying and learning to be able to offer the best experience to a guest, in an entertaining and friendly manner that will -hopefully- get them excited too about wines.
What would be your advice to a young Sommelier(e)? How to find a good position at home or abroad? Any further tips?
Check for people you admire and try to work with them. Most of the time, there is a high chance one can work in that dream place or with that very respected colleague. Sometimes all it takes is to ask.
When a customer asks for advice on selecting wine, what, in your opinion, would be the best approach?
The best way to do it is to ask what kind of wines they usually enjoy and ask if they want to have the same appellation or region, or if they feel adventurous and are open to tasting something of that sort from another origin. This kind of question lets the customer know that your main interest is in finding out what they like and giving them that, rather than pushing something else for them to drink, just because the Sommelier wants that. This builds trust. And trust is the key to putting into practice our knowledge and offering exciting and delicious wines to the guests that, most probably, they wouldn’t have selected for themselves.
What is your philosophy about glasses? Are you working with well-known brands or are you considering new brands as well? How do you decide?
It really depends on the type of restaurant: is it a fine dining scenario, or is it a more casual one? Now we are working with the Riedl Veloce series for our fine dining restaurant at the Sauska wineries. For more casual tastings at our sparkling wine cellar, we use Gabriel Glass. I do think that fine dining demands great attention to the quality of the glassware. It tells a lot about the attention to detail of the place.
What advice would you give people on pairing wine with food?
Pay less attention to the type of meat and more attention to how it was cooked and in the sauce. When in doubt, sparkling wine, in all colours, is your best friend.
Should a Sommelier:ère taste the guest’s wine?
I think it is a nice touch if the Sommelier checks if the wine is sound. It should always be communicated with the guest, though.
What are the key ingredients for creating a wine list for a restaurant, and what is your opinion on pricing wine in restaurants, do you have tips on how to determine markups?
Like everything in life, it depends. How much storage space do you have? Does the clientele demand variety or just a few well-selected wines? Since the markup depends on so many factors, I would just like to mention that one should not forget that the more expensive wines should have a considerably lower net profit percentage than the cheaper ones.
How do you manage to stay on top of the changes in the wine industry?
Being part of a Sommelier chat group is helpful. There is always someone who realises the latest creation of a new appellation or important wine-related news and shares it with the group. Also, having Sommelier friends in different countries helps to know what’s trending in their markets.
How would a new vineyard get their wine noticed and what is the best way for producers to improve their chances of being listed?
They must know what their main market is and do tastings with the people who make the decisions for the listings. If the target is the luxury HORECA sector or supermarkets, then the people on the tastings should be drastically different.
If you were a wine, which variety would you be, and why?
I would have to be a blend, since I am a blend myself: Colombian father and Hungarian mother. I would be a traditional method sparkling made with Chardonnay and Furmint with a long time on the lees and no oak ageing.
And, if the traditional method of sparkling wine making is too complicated, I would love to be an unoaked, long lees aged white wine.
Which top 3 types of wine (your faves would we find in your home wine collection and what’s your desert island wine?
Unoaked, lees-aged white wines like Chablis, Vinho Verde, Muscadet or Furmint. Juicy and spicy reds with medium body, such as northern Rhone Syrah, Beaujolais Cru, Trousseau or Kékfrankos. The last style must be a traditional sparkling method. I enjoy mostly white grape-based ones: I love the nerve and vibrancy they bring to a good quality traditional method.
Thank you
Sebastian
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