General Background: I was born in Moldova in 1981 when it was still part of the USSR, and right after high school moved to Italy with my wife, Elena.  After 12 years in Italy we reflected on where we wanted our son to grow up, and where we could put down our permanent roots  We chose the "happy land" of  Denmark, and have made it our home since 2015. 

Education: I graduated in 2014 with an advanced degree in Restaurant, Bar & Sommellerie Management from the world class Alma La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Parma, Italy.  Today, I am halfway through the process of obtaining my Court of Master Sommelier certification - one of the oldest and most prestigious schools for Sommeliers.

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Job Experience: While studying at Alma in Parma I worked as a chef, butler and sommelier for one of the royal families of Italy. This experience definitely taught me about the importance of good service! After graduating with honors from Alma University, I started working at Michelin star restaurants.  In 2016 I moved to Copenhagen and worked as a sommelier at The Studio.  I was the recruited in 2017 by Mother Wine to be their head sommelier and beverage manager. 

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Businesses: In 2019, together with my business partner Gwenn Larsson, I started not your USUAL wine bar in Copenhagen.  In 2020 we established Wine Class - a wine education program for private individuals interested in learning about wine.  In 2022 we opened The Vault - a VIP wine club and wine storage venue in the center of the city.

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Awards / Honors:  Judge at the European Wine Awards since 2020; Managing partner for the association of Eastern European Sommeliers