Enrico Bernardo

The Path

At Troisgros in Roanne, France, his time as sommelier placed him inside one of French gastronomy’s exacting rooms, where pace and standards were already defined. He then served as head sommelier at Four Seasons Hotel Georges V in Paris, France, a role that sharpened the calibrated style associated with his work. That progression — from student cook to sommelier to head sommelier — reads as a career built on control rather than noise: reading a table, matching bottle to dish, and guiding without crowding the meal. Today, Enrico Bernardo is owner of Il Vino and owner of Il Vino Courchevel, extending that approach into restaurants where the glass sits at the center of the experience.

The Work Today

At Il Vino in Paris and Il Vino Courchevel, the concept stays tight to the glass and the plate. The room is organized around restraint rather than range: “The menu of these restaurants is exclusively limited to a list of 15 or so wines available by the glass or by the bottle. The dish that goes with each is a surprise.” The pairing carries the drama, but the structure remains controlled, with attention pushed toward detail, texture, and the sequence of the meal. That same logic is stated plainly in another of his descriptions: “The idea behind the concept, he says, is to give customers the opportunity to explore the wine world with simple, straightforward Italian food.” The work is built on selection and contrast, but the food stays direct. The aim is access to the wine world without clutter, using a cuisine that remains legible rather than mannered. The method is also organized around repetition. “We hold a regular Friday morning tasting where we taste 12 dishes and 12 wines.” It is a weekly check on balance and fit, a working ritual where the relationship between kitchen and cellar is tested before service. The final room experience starts in that kind of review.

Signature

The title fits a career shaped by selection, judgment, and range, while keeping the emphasis on the single glass at the table.

In Their Words “The menu of these restaurants is exclusively limited to a list of 15 or so wines available by the glass or by the bottle. The dish that goes with each is a surprise.” “The idea behind the concept, he says, is to give customers the opportunity to explore the wine world with simple, straightforward Italian food.”

Acclaim

Enrico's honors include Best Sommelier in the World (2004) and Best Sommelier in Italy. Those distinctions mark a career that moved from technical command into ownership without losing its center: a serious approach to wine, and a preference for discovery that stays elegant and human.