Basically the reason for him to be a Sommelier above all things was a matter of passion and professional appreciation.
Miguel started his sommelier career at Vila Vita Parc and ever since that Hotel had a “wine culture” at that time, in other words, maybe it was the only hotel in Portugal with a big Sommelier team, in context of Hotel business it had and maybe still has one of the most important wine cellars, it was a place that “breathed” wine, and all that atmosphere made him passionate about this subject. It was then that he decided to take the Sommelier course and being already involved in a place where they were working this subject at the highest level, it made it easy for him to blend in this wine world.
He is not the kind of Sommelier that imposes his personal taste to anyone, he tries to understand as far as he can go through certain signs that costumers give you, something that Sommeliers dominate well with some years of work, but beyond this costumers have basic questions that give you clues on the style of wine they are looking for, whether they are light or full-bodied, whether they prefer fruity or, on the other hand, more complex wines and finally choose a wine according to what they seek and if they would like something that should pair with food, in this case it would be on the Sommelier's side to advise a wine and in his opinion it should be justified to the client.
First of all and for the sake of a Sommelier's profession, Miguel says that all must tick themselves off of that image that still remains today in which the Sommeliers are vain, arrogant and overbearing figures, of course you need to have knowledge but
what makes the difference in this and other professions is the passion for what we do.
Miguel Martins joined the Conrad Algarve team since the beginning of 2017 being the Head Sommelier and Wine Director of Gusto Restaurant, having personalized the wine cellar and the overall wine philosophy of the Hotel.
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