Francesco Angiolini is a  Wine and sake Sommelier, currently working for the 5-star Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. He has been working in the restaurant business for more than 9 years and can speak Italian, English and Spanish fluently. He is a professional person, always motivated and available for new experiences.

Your current place of work?

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago

Tell us about yourself.

I'm an ambitious man who has been working in the hospitality industry for nine years, working in many different cities in Europe and America. I became a Sommelier when I was 21 years old, I worked for some great places such as the Michelin Star Restaurant Petrus in London and I´m currently working at the Trump Hotel. I have been very focused on my personal and professional growth and my goal is opening in a couple of years my own business.

Why did you want to become a sommelier?

I wanted to become a Sommelier because I love wines, I love tasting them, describing the wines to other people who have less knowledge but at the same time, they are enthusiastic about understanding more about it. Becoming a Sommelier is not easy, especially because the wine world is endless, there is always something to learn about it and that´s why I became a sommelier.

Questions you would ask a customer who doesn't know anything about wine?

I would like to ask if they prefer drinking still or Sparkling wines.
If they like more white, rosé or red wines.
And also I´d like to ask if they prefer easy-drinking wines or heavy/full-bodied wines.
When you have to recommend a wine to someone who has no knowledge about it, it´s always important to use very easy terms to describe wines.

What are some of the most important skills for a sommelier?

Understanding people is the key to selling wine, before selling the wine, you need to know who you have in front of you. Once that is done, you can proceed with selling the wine and of course, whenever possible try to do an upselling.

Using the right terminology to describe wines, the guest needs to know what you are talking about

How I would train my new staff member in their first 7 days of joining.

First 3 days I would ask the associate to shadow me and help me with easy duties to complete. If I see that the associate is getting ready, I would let the associate start working on the floor by himself taking care of small sections.

What methods do you use to grow wine sales - top line? Please explain with examples.

One of the best methods of growing wine sales is training the team, having a team with wine knowledge is very important, because they will feel more confident to do upselling. Also, the wine list plays a key role, is important to have a wine list that fits well with the types of guests we have, with the type of cuisine, and also that fits well with the location.

An example would be, imagine having a restaurant on an island with good weather the whole year(like Canadian islands) offering Japanese cuisine, of course in order to grow the wine sales you should have a wine list focused on Sparkling wines, White wines, and also sakes(respecting the Japanese traditions) but also leaving space for some good red wines, although they don´t fit very well some of them with the type of cusine, just because some guests are not really into the pairing.

How do you self-learn and improve your skills?

I improve myself by being humble and learning from whoever has more experience than me. Attending new trainings.

What's the best part of your job?

The contact with the client and selling wines.

How do you elevate the guest experience? Please give 4-5 examples and insights here.

Being always attentive to the guest's requests and smiling.
Taking care of the details.
Making sure the guest feels comfortable and enjoys the experience.
Surprising the guests with some small touches especially if they are celebrating some important event.

Your favorite TV show right now?

The office

An unforgettable wine experience for you - tell us the whole story!

One of the best wine experiences was when I visited Bordeaux in March and I visited some of the best wineries in the world

What are the biggest faux pas that customers tend to make when ordering and drinking wine?

Confusing fruity wines with sweet wines
Thinking that an aged wine is better than a young wine

Any favorite food and wine pairing suggestions for drinks enthusiasts?

36 months of parmesan cheese aged, dipped in 100 years old balsamic vinegar, and paired with a good Barolo.

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Your favorite book?

Fluir para no sufrir

What's your personal career goal? And how are you investing or planning to get there?

My goal is to open my own restaurant, with my friend a chef
I´m planning to get there looking for an investor

How can suppliers work with you to drive sales?

Offering some good deals, building a relationship between us.

Can you share with us an example of a solid wine program?

The wine list is easy to read, and minimal wine list.
A variety of different wines, wines with different characteristics but also from all over the world.
Wines are affordable for everyone.