von Aldo Sohm wins the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award in the category Outstanding Wine Service.
Aldo Sohm was born and raised in Tirol, in the heart of the Austrian Alps. Also discovered his love for wine and travel as a boy on a trip to Italy with his father. By the age of 19, he knew that these two passions would not remain an idle past time but play a central role in his personal life and his career.
In pursuit of his passions, Aldo attended tourism school in Innsbruck, Austria while simultaneously working in some of the top restaurants of the country. Aldo was fortunate to observe first-hand the skills of the great chefs and sommeliers of the time.
In 1998, Aldo took and passed the official European sommelier exam and was granted this official title. This same year, Aldo accompanied his close friend, Norbert Waldnig President of the Troler Sommelier Club and director of the WIFI Wine Education Department, to the World Sommelier Competition where Norbert won 3rd place. After witnessing the stress and anxiety this competition caused his friend, Aldo was hesitant to compete in the field himself. Yet like so many inexplicable moments in life, Aldo entered the competition the following year on a whim. He then went on to win the title of „Best Sommelier of Austria“ in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006, a feat never before or since accomplished.
Aldo ventured forth to the USA in July 2004 to expand his English language skills, which is vital not only for international competitions, but in his profession generally. Aldo was employed as a sommelier at the Restaurant Wallse, an Austrian restaurant in the Big Apple. Since that time, Sohm has greatly improved his grasp of the English language, yet this accomplishment pales in comparison to his success as a sommelier on the North American continent. In 2006 New York Magazine voted him „Best Sommelier in New York“. In January 2007 he won the competition in New York „Best Sommelier in America 2007“. In May 2007 Aldo moved from Restaurant Wallse to the three Michelin star Restaurant Le Bernardin, where he took the position as Wine Director. Aldo won his last competition “Best Sommelier in the World 2008” in Rome held by the Worldwide Sommelier Assocation. Now, on May 4th, 2009 Aldo Sohm won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award in the category Outstanding Wine Service.
Above all Aldo’s achievements and all his future achievements to come, he asserts that one true and valuable success of his life is being able to earn a living doing something he so passionately loves.
Le Bernardin
Wine Director: Aldo Sohm
155 W. 51st St.
New York, NY 10019
212-554-1515
