WIA AMBASSADOR

Wine is a passion
Wine is a journey
Wine is an encounter

From vineyard to glass wine is a poetry written in taste. Each wine is a unique experience, and needs an ambassador to share it with the world. Wine Ambassador is a lifestyle, an adventure that begins with wine and continues with people. Let’s build the world’s largest and finest wine community together. Join Us!

WIA Ambassadors

Christina Nikiticheva WIA Ambassador Russia Christina Nikiticheva is a certified wine specialist. Wine has been her passion for a long time, and in 2017 she decided to make it a profession. She is a WSET level 3 advanced sommelier with merit. She attended the WineQ school and the Moscow Academy…

Francisca Marzá WIA Ambassador Chile Francisca Marzá discovered her vocation for wine in 2014. Graduated in Business Administration of the Wine Industry and a post degree in Chilean Wine at the Catholic University of Chile and additional studies as a sommelier at the Wine Institute. Content creator, communicator, and…

Michelle Carlín WIA Ambassador Mexico Wine Educator Michelle Carlín is a Wine Writer and Wine Content Creator for Social Media. She is an IWC Mexico Ambassador, Judge at Global Wine El Conocedor Magazine, Board Member and Member of the Mexican Sommelier Association, Sommelier at DO Ribera del Duero and Wine…

Emanuel Pesqueira WIA Ambassador UK Emanuel is Head of Wine at Gordon Ramsay Group. When growing up, Emanuel’s family called him “the perfect host”, so it was only natural that he has ascended through a wide variety of roles within the hospitality industry in recognition of his performance and…

Mary John WIA Ambassador Australia Mary John, the face behind @perthwinegirl, is a wine enthusiast from Perth, Australia, who loves sharing simple, fun and inclusive forms of wine communication outside the box. She is a Latin American Aussie with local and international experience traveling to many wine regions and writing…

 Benoît Lefèvre    WIA Ambassador    Canada  Creator of the wine tourism blog vino2travel.com and the Instagram account @vino2travel, Benoît Lefèvre shares wine tourism stories, winegrowers’ portraits as well as his favorite wine discoveries with his audience. . Benoît is passionate about wine, travel, gastronomy and photography and loves to share his passions with as…

Lucia Palm WIA Ambassador USA Lucia Palm is a certified sommelier and wine educator who runs her successful social media brand Lucialoveswine on both Instagram and TikTok, where she recommends quality wines on a budget in tandem with providing wine education to her over 170,000 followers. . Lucia first fell…

Chris Howells WIA Ambassador UK Chris Howells has dedicated a large part of his adult life to the humble grape. As an avid wine collector, multiple wine judge, Certified WSET 3 with distinction and occasional writer-columnist for a number of drink & hospitality magazines, he is making wine…

 Laura Donadoni   WIA Ambassador    Italy & USA  Hailing from Bergamo, Italy, Laura was born and bred on classic Italian wine and creative cuisine. She is a certified professional journalist and editor with a summa cum laude PhD in Communication Sciences, a professional speaker, a certified Sommelier with merit with the North…

Francesca Piemontese WIA Ambassador Italy Francesca Piemontese is an Italian living in France (Cannes) since 2015. She is a sommelier with the diploma Sommelier Caviste Ambassador in Gastronomie and diploma Sommelier Coach one. She is also a top wine-influencer on Instagram and TikTok. . Francesca’s life is divided between the…

Laury Rzepka WIA Ambassador France Laury is from Corsica and had a brilliant career in physiotherapy, then she decided to change her life and join the wine sector. Now she is a sommelière now and it is so much more fun. She started at N5 Wine Bar in Toulouse. After…

Alessandro IngrossoWIA AmbassadorItalyAlessandro Ingrosso is a sommelier and a wine lover from Italy. He does not like to define himself as being related to a certain sphere, because basically he compares hismself with wine, which is constantly evolving! Alessandro has been trained in the hospitality sphere, and it was followed…

Claudia Maremonti WIA Ambassador Italy Claudia Maremonti, born and raised in Cosenza, has a great passion for wine that over time led her to accumulate experiences, complete a sommelier course, and open her Instagram page by collaborating with some blogs. In 2020, after a series of introduction courses…

​​Francesco Saverio Russo WIA Ambassador Italy Francesco Saverio Russo, born in the Italian region Marche but Tuscan by “adoption”, is among the best well known and esteemed exponents of the Italian multimedia wine communication. He sees himself as a humble and passionate wine communicator. . For over 18 years…

Susan R Lin WIA Ambassador USA Susan is a Master of Wine, her joy is to create memorable experiences through wine and the performing arts. Susan is the Head of Wine Expertise for online fine wine retailer Belmont Wine Exchange in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she collaborates with…

Judith Ramírez WIA Ambassador Chile Judith is a sommelier expert in Wine Tourism. She is a communicator and professor of Chilean wine giving classes to Chilean and foreign students with her own teaching methodology called: “̈Sensorial Wine Workshop ̈ with the goal to show the art of pairing wine in…

Mattia Krug WIA Ambassador Italy Mattia passionately shares his unique wine experiences, driven by a desire to find and provide information that was previously unavailable. His content often includes valuable insights into the best wineries worth visiting. The type of wine tourism Mattia promotes is a harmonious blend of his…

Daniella Romano WIA Ambassador Brazil Daniella Romano is a sommelier, wine-hunter, wine journalist, and wine educator. She has been evaluating and teaching about wines for almost twenty years! Journalist and wine educator, member of FIJEV-Fr,(International Federation of Wine and Spirit Journalist and Writers). . A Wset level 3 advanced wine…

Iker Berasaluce WIA Ambassador Austria Iker Berasaluce is a 32 year old wine writer, judge, educator and content creator from Spain, living in Vienna, Austria. Holding a PhD in Chemistry, he decided to turn his passion into his job. His first advance in the professional wine sphere was at the Federal Research Center…

Simona Geri WIA Ambassador Italy Simona Geri lives in Tuscany, near Bolgheri. She is a Sommelier and founder of “The Winesetter.” She is a judge for wine competitions and also a content creator, wine communicator and wine taster. Simona collaborates with wineries, press offices, wine events as a media partner.…

Isis Daniel  WIA Ambassador USA  Isis Daniel, known as The Millennial Somm (TMS), is a certified Level 3, with Merit, Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) sommelier from Washington, DC. While dedicating 5 years to the Hospitality Industry, she fell in love with wine and decided to refocus her career.. During her vino journey,…

Adrian Tamblin WIA Ambassador USA Adrian Tamblin is a Sonoma County, CA native and CEO and Co-Founder of Wine Routes, a platform aimed at connecting consumers to brands throughout the US. His insatiable love of wine, travel, and adventure, coupled with his entrepreneurial background, lead him to assemble a team…

Elisa Fiore Gubellini WIA Ambassador Italy Elisa was born in Turin (Piedmont), vintage 1985, Sommelier and, first of all, passionate wine lover. She started her career in the wine business in 2015 working as a fine wine merchant in a very famous Italian Company. . From 2018 Elisa runs Wine…

Fabiana Aguinsky WIA Ambassador Brazil Fabiana Aguinsky is a wife and mother of two daughters, born in Uruguay, but residing in Brazil since 2002. She currently lives in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul and is one of the most experienced wine professionals in the country. In addition…

Olga Sofia Schiaffino WIA Ambassador Italy Olga was elected the Best Sommelier of Liguria and received the WSET level 3. Her story with wine started in 2011 when she enrolled in a course to become a sommelier, because she wanted to understand what was in her glass: she is curious…

Mariana Gil Juncal WIA Ambassador Argentina Mariana Gil Juncal is a Spaniard born in Argentina who lives in Buenos Aires, the daughter of a Galician father and a Buenos Aires mother. She is a specialist in social communication, journalist, and Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.…

Stefan Sulzer WIA Ambassador Germany Stefan Sulzer is a 45-year-old wine enthusiast from Münster, Germany. Being a school teacher by profession, he also finds time to develop his understanding and competence in the wine sector. More than 20 years ago he started tasting wines with a friend who worked in…

Karen Kraakevik WIA Ambassador   USA Karen, AKA The Napa Cowgirl, is a 5th generation rancher from Oklahoma bringing a mix of wine and country together that offers a relaxed western vibe into wine. She truly believes wine should be enjoyable for any lifestyle.. Karen is a wine representative helping wineries in the United…

Lea Gatinois WIA Ambassador France Lea Gatinois is a 28 years old wine entrepreneur. She grew up in Bordeaux and moved to Switzerland at 18 to complete a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne. After working for two years in marketing for a retailer company…

Etiene Carvalho WIA Ambassador Brazil Etiene holds several sommelier certifications like the WSET Level 3, Sommelier Fisar, French Wine Specialist and others. She is an International Wine Judge, Wine Blogger and Wine Influencer. She is also a Cigar Sommelier. Etiene has always liked wine naturally. She found it tasty,…

Marc Wabo WIA Ambassador Germany Marc Wabo was born and raised in Cameroon, later on he obtained his academic degree in Electrical engineering at the Technical University in Berlin followed by the MBA at the Tias Business School. Currently Marc is living in Bonn, Germany. He admits that wine has…

Zelda Molenaar WIA Ambassador Netherlands Zelda’s goal is to share the knowledge and joy of wine. Connect beautiful stories to beautiful wines. After working in the restaurant business for 10 years, she wanted to share her passion and knowledge with the world. In this day and age, we can…

Kristy Wenz WIA Ambassador USA Kristy Wenz is a wine and travel writer, educator, and communicator currently based in Chicago. She holds a Level 3 certification from the Wines & Spirits Education Trust. Kristy combines her communications skills with her passion and expertise for wine, travel and culture. She focuses…

Martha Cisneros WIA Ambassador USA Martha Cisneros is the Wine Blogger, Content Creator, and Sommelier in the works behind WineDivaa.com. She earned her nickname ‘WineDivaa’ in College, where her friends used to ask for wine recommendations. She graduated from Tec de Monterrey, one of only 45 universities in the World…

Elisa Nardi WIA Ambassador Italy  Elisa Nardi is a sommelier and daughter of the wine producer Tenute Silvio Nardi Montalcino. She is an expert in wine marketing and a brand ambassador. Her passion for wine began a few years ago when she visited il Carapace in Montefalco (Umbria).. Elisa fell in love…

Pier & Chiara Palumbo WIA Ambassador Italy Pier and Chiara are Sommelier and Wine experts from Piemonte. They are also two musicians. After some years in California, they decided to return to the beauty of their countryside and home. For them, it is all about great stories and unforgettable flavors.…

Kirsty Woodgate WIA Ambassador UK Kirsty Woodgate DipWSET is a wine expert and communications professional from England, UK. She works as a Wine Writer, Wine Judge and Content Creator, and regularly hosts interactive wine tastings in her home county. . Wine ties together her passions, skills, qualifications and abilities. Her…

 Micaela Lopez  WIA Ambassador  Argentina & Uruguay Micaela Lopez is 29 years old, she was born in Argentina and lives in Uruguay. She is the country manager in Uruguay for an Argentina company that produces, markets and imports prestigious wineries from around the world.   Micaela is currently studying for a career as a sommelier. In…

Paige Comrie WIA Ambassador USA Paige Comrie is a wine photographer & writer based in the heart of American wine country… Napa. Her mission is to connect wine lovers with great wines from across the world through her blog & Instagram @winewithpaige. As a believer in everyday magic, her selections…

Ian Green WIA Ambassador UK Located in the heart of the beautiful English wine region of Sussex, Ian Green is a wine enthusiast and content creator whose mission is to break down the barriers to wine and to make it more approachable and accessible to all. . Ian’s passion for…

Mariella Sánchez WIA Ambassador Peru Mariella is a wine enthusiast. Her love for wine (possibly) began with small wine tastings that she did at College while she was studying to become a Food and Beverage specialist, where every aroma and flavor of red fruits and cherries on Cabernet passed unnoticed…

Karla & André Baader WIA Ambassadors Brazil Karla and André Baader are a couple of professional chefs and wine enthusiasts from Brazil. They started their journey into the world of wine and food, when they left their countries, Brazil and Guatemala, their full-time jobs, friends and family to become chefs…

 Marisol de la Fuente    WIA Ambassador    Argentina Marisol de la Fuente is an International Sommelier of the EAS graduated from the Argentine School of Sommeliers and Bartender at the International Center for Cocktail bar. She communicates about the world of wine and drinks with the aim of bringing it closer to…

Natalie Hazel WIA Ambassador   Australia Natalie is a wine enthusiast and Champagne content creator living on the shores of sparkling Sydney Harbour – her goal is to discover and share special Champagnes and wines, presenting them in a beautiful and inspiring way, with her audience.. Natalie’s first foray into the world of wine…

Vanessa Fabiani WIA Ambassador Italy Vanessa Fabiani is a wine content creator for social media. She is a certified international sommelier, member of the Italian Sommelier Association and official certified technical wine taster. She lives in Rome and she loves Italian wine such as Barolo and Barbera and especially Sicilian…

Renée Sferrazza   WIA Ambassador Canada   Renée Sferrazza has dedicated her life to grapes. As a Court of the Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier, she has made wine her life’s work, and her entrepreneurial spirit has driven her to be a curator of wine experiences. In her work as a Wine Communicator,…

 Ivan Vellucci  WIA Ambassador    Italy Ivan Vellucci is 53 years old, he writes for an online wine magazine. He is an engineer and a manager before being a sommelier. He works as marketing director in a high-profile automotive company in Italy in the luxury segment. He is a wine fan and…

Veronica Accossato WIA Ambassador France & Italy Veronica Accossato is a 26 years-old sommelier and wine enthusiast from Piedmont, Italy. She graduated in linguistic mediation before starting the AIS (Italian Sommeliers Association), where she obtained the 2nd level. At that time Veronica was working at the Michelin starred restaurant Combal.Zero…

Emma Brajkovic WIA Ambassador Spain Emma Brajkovic’s first introduction to the world of wine, was when she was a child, through the eyes of her parents, who owned and managed a restaurant in Paris specialized in Wines and Champagnes. She was regularly attending wine auctions at l’Hôtel Drouot while her…

Alex Souza WIA Ambassador Brazil Alexander Souza, the face behind @vinhominhapaixao, a Brazilian enthusiast who loves to share the magic that the world of wine can provide in a simple and interesting way. He is a professional who works with new business development in the corporate environment, but at the…

Nello Gatti WIA Ambassador   Italy  Nello Gatti is a multilingual wine professional with an in-depth knowledge of the hospitality and marketing sectors. Even if he doesn’t come from a family of wine enthusiasts, along his path he developed an unparalleled level of communication awareness thanks to his proven history at some of…

Joanna Vallejo WIA Ambassador Mexico Joanna Vallejo is 36 year old sommelier from Mexico who describes herself as a Non Uniform Sommelier. Proud Mexican from a Small town called Uruapan Michoacán, where the food culture is really deep and old. With family inheritance of four generations in the avocado business,…

Anastasia Palferova WIA Ambassador Russia Anastasia is a 34-year-old Russian wine lover, sommelier and blogger living in Moscow. Before she got the wine bug 5 years ago, Anastasia was successfully making her career in strategic consulting and banking. At that time, she travelled a lot to Italy, Spain, Germany and…

Thomas Zarilllo WIA Ambassador USA For Tom Wine is a passport to the world, filled with stories, friendships, culture, and education. While he has had a passion for wine for quite some time, it was when his friends opened an Italian restaurant in the East Village in NYC that he…

Han Lian WIA Ambassador UK Han Lian is a wine enthusiast from the UK. Going back in history for a moment, Han once didn’t mind drinking low quality wine when she was a student. However, after her first trip to France with her now partner from Burgundy, she felt the…

Valentino Pusnava WIA Ambassador Germany Valentino Pusnava is one of the most well-known German wine bloggers, being a familiar face at all major wine events in Europe such as ProWein, VinItaly or MeranoWineFestival. He is WSET certified, and his background is in business with a strong focus on digital and…

Bubbles Hyland WIA Ambassador South Africa Bubbles Hyland was destined for the wine industry with the nickname she was given from birth! British born but now living in Cape Town for the past 17 years she has become an avid ambassador of South African wine. She formed Well Red Wine…

Riccardo Fabbio WIA Ambassador Italy Riccardo Fabbio is a wine enthusiast and sommelier from Venice, Italy. He has worked in the hospitality sector for almost ten years in various hotels in Venice. He has a degree in psychology, with a master’s degree in HR management and yj one in coaching,…

Francesco Aiello WIA Ambassador Italy Francesco is a digital creator for companies producing wine and gastronomic products, doing events and exhibitions. He is Wine Blogger and wine Journalist for wineeventibologna.com. He organizes wine tasting events in various bars and restaurants in Emilia Romagna. . Wine expert and seller for several…

Alexia Hupin WIA Ambassador France Alexia Hupin DipWSET is a French wine educator, blogger, community manager and copywriter living in Provence, the land of rosé. She has always been passionate about wine, memorizing regions and appellations during family gatherings. She worked in hospitality events for 5 years but she decided…

Maxence Jacquot WIA Ambassador France Maxence Jacquot is a wine professional from France. After attending a business school specializing in wine (Institut Supérieur du Vin à Montpellier en France), he worked as a press officer. Maxence was lucky to work for some of the biggest names in the French wine…

Carla Urrunaga WIA Ambassador Chile Carla Urrunaga, although mostly known as @chezcarlita, is a food engineer, wine taster, communicator, educator and simply a great wine lover. She was born in Lima, Peru but fourteen years ago she came to Chile out of love and that love extended to one of…

David Martínez WIA Ambassador Spain David Martínez is a Sommelier from Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. He has been in the wine business for the last 20 years. He started his job as sommelier in a gastronomic restaurant, combining it with wine reviews in magazines, wine contests and traveling around to…

Claudia Riva di Sanseverino WIA Ambassador Italy Claudia Riva di Sanseverino is originally from Bologna, raised in the old town part near the Due Torri, symbol of this city. Growing up in an important family she developed an innate talent for good food, taste and wine. She’s an AIS (Italian…

Madalena Vidigal WIA Ambassador  Portugal   Madalena Vidigal has a degree in Hotel Management and a postgraduate degree in Wine Tourism, Digital Marketing and Viticulture. She is a wine producer in Alentejo, the south of Portugal. She has two great passions that are present in everything she does: wine and travel!. For 10…

Kathleen Willcox WIA Ambassador USA Kathleen Willcox is an award-winning food and drinks journalist, features writer and co-founder of Thinking Outside the Bottle. After graduating with a degree in English literature from Providence College, she took a job as a general beat reporter at the Lewisboro Ledger. From there, she…

Daria Kholodilina WIA Ambassador Georgia Daria Kholodilina is a Georgia-based wine tourism specialist, and a big friend and promoter of Georgian wine – with a WSET 2 certificate. Being born in Ukraine, Daria moved to Georgia in 2013 because she fell in love with the country. She participated in developing…

Rakesh Awaghade WIA Ambassador India Rakesh was born and raised in Mumbai and graduated from a university in London. He is a certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and currently pursuing his advanced Sommelier with the intent to teach, and perhaps becoming a Master Sommelier Designation. . Professionally,…

Elena Palmerini WIA Ambassador Tuscany, Italy Born in Tuscany among the waves and the masks of Viareggio Carnival, Elena Palmerini spent years travelling around the world. She was about 22 years old when she reached international success in the mixology sphere and she decided to go for the search for…

Marco Boldrini WIA Ambassador Netherlands & Italy Marco Boldrini is a 34 years old Italian entrepreneur, sommelier, wine lover and advisor. He owns two famous restaurants in Amsterdam and one In Italy. His work, network and passion for wine connected him to the most famous wine producers in the world.…

Sharese Hunt WIA Ambassador South Africa Sharese Hunt is a wine professional and wine blogger from South Africa. She lives in Capetown with her family and enjoys amazing local wines matched with lovely food and great scenery. Sharese shares her wine experiences by writing articles for her website called Swirl…

Jared Bayley WIA Ambassador UK Jared Bayley is the founder of Pour Some More – the concept being to meet some great people and review some fabulous drinks. For its creators, it was a challenge to build a social media following however the themes of being engaging, fun and informative…

Cornelia Becker (Corni) WIA Ambassador Austria  Cornelia Becker (also called Corni for short) is a wine blogger, passionate about Austrian wineries and wines. She was born in 1978 and lives in Lower Austria with her family. As many other experts, she is convinced that Austrian wines have excellent quality and can definitely compete…

Tabitha Watson WIA Ambassador Scotland Tabitha Watson is from the beautiful Scottish city of Edinburgh. Between her home and London, she works as a full time Theatrical Agent representing professional Actors in the Creative Arts Industry. Tabitha is also qualified in Business Administration, Digital Marketing and Business Management and Leadership.…

Daniele Sottile WIA Ambassador Italy Daniele Sottile has a deep-rooted passion for wine which started in 2002. Since that time, has been continuously studying to discover and share the magic of wine. All started in 2003-2004 when Daniele got the Diploma of Sommelier AIS – Associazione Italiana Sommelier, followed by…

Stephanie Häni WIA Ambassador Spain & Switzerland Stephanie Alexandra Häni Vílchez is a professional photographer who made wine the center of her artwork. For the most part of her life she has been living between Spain and Switzerland and loves both countries. Stephanie grew up being bilingual and always loved…

Maxime Bergamin WIA Ambassador Switzerland & France Maxime Bergamin spent his childhood between Savoie and Languedoc – a wine region known for its rich history and great wines as well as carefully preserved traditions of French winemaking. Not surprisingly, that wine has always been an important part of his life. He…

Mar Galván WIA Ambassador Spain Mar Galván is a Spanish oenologist , sommelier, expert in sensory analysis and analyst of Agri-food products. Apart from that, whe is a Food Safety Specialist, writer and poet, with three books currently published. She collaborated on the book “SIN MALA UVA”, by Esnesto Gallud,…

Vuk Štefanović WIA Ambassador Serbia Vuk Štefanović is an economist by profession and a sommelier by fact and choice. He has been in the hospitality industry since he was 16 years old. Vuk fell in love with the the hospitality industry and everything it brings early in his career .…