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Michael Mighetto Hoefling

Service Manager & Sommelier at Spruce in San Francisco

Bay Area native Michael Mighetto Hoefling has recently become one of the emerging tastemakers in the Bay Area. As a UC Davis graduate and someone who has always loved agriculture and beverage Michael launched himself into wine in the early 2000’s. From being on the winemaking team at Robert Mondavi, brewing beer at Berkeley’s Triple Rock Brewery which is one of America's oldest Brewpubs, to running a tasting room for Chateau Montelena to working alongside America’s top wine writer Karen MacNeil as she revised the Wine Bible. 

Michael currently makes the post-pandemic people happy by providing the highest level of hospitality and showcasing the most exuberant and highly allocated wines at Spruce in San Francisco. Prior to the pandemic, he used to run the full beverage program at the Claremont, a Fairmont Hotel in Berkeley, where he has an act for finding the very best of California wines. Prior to working at the Claremont, Michael has spent the last 5 years working at some of the greatest restaurants in San Francisco (the then 3-star Michelin Saison restaurant, and 2-star Michelin Lazy Bear), where he built expert knowledge of Burgundy and California wine.

Meet the other judges

Jane Lopes

Sommelier, Educator, and Author • Co-Founder Legend Imports

David Kohl

Vice President Portfolio Manager, Chateau & Estates Wine Imports LLC