TIRANA, Dec. 23- An Albanian migrant has claimed Italy’s best sommelier award, becoming the first Albanian to win such a wine steward prize in the neighboring country, the host of some 500,000 Albanian migrants. Sokol Ndreko, 37, who works as a restaurant manager in Italy, was handed the award by the Best Italian Wine Awards organization from a jury composed of journalists.
Ndeko who now lives in Italy with his wife and twin sons, left Albania in 1996-1997 turmoil to move to Greece where he worked for four years in the construction industry.
His passion in restaurants and wines started in 2000 when he moved to Italy and attended a sommelier training course.
“It is not a competition. It just assesses the everyday job a sommelier does which is more or less the role of a wine ambassador in a restaurant,” he told an Albanian portal in Italy.
Speaking about restaurants, wine making and the quality of wines in Albania, Ndreko says “the restaurant industry in Albania is going through a transition stage because many young men and women previously working abroad are returning home bringing with them the know-how and techniques acquired from the experience in their host countries.”
“Likewise the other countries of the ex-communist bloc, the wine and vineyard tradition was destroyed. I had the opportunity to try several wines from local wineries which I have also brought to Italy and I can say that at this moment there are some really interesting wines but we are still far from what we call high quality,” he added.
The renowned sommelier’s recipe for success is “dedication, commitment and passion.”
