For years, Eleonora Caso was one of the few female sommeliers in Dubai’s beverage industry. Now, Orange Hospitality’s wine director has been recognised as Sommelier of the Year at the Gault&Millau UAE Gala 2022.
The event, which took place on Tuesday, June 14 at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah saw 12 awards being handed out to top people and restaurants in the country’s F&B industry.
Caso is behind the wine program at Il Borro Tuscan Bistro Dubai, ll Borro Tuscan Bistro London, Alici, and the recently opened MayaBay. Following her award win, she spoke about the importance of the UAE wine community being recognised by an international brand such as Gault&Millau.
She said: “It was very overwhelming. I was so happy. It’s not really about me, it is about giving recognition to the people in the beverage industry.
“Look at any licensed restaurant bill, sommeliers are the ones making the revenue. It is so hard for us to be recognised, so it is important to have an award for sommeliers out there.”
Caso, who studied with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, has previously worked as deputy head sommelier for Zuma Dubai and wine and sake sales manager for Flemingo in the Maldives.
The challenges of being a sommelier
“Being a sommelier and working with wine takes a lot of both physical and mental effort,” Caso said. “And for so long we were behind the scenes, but the Gault&Millau UAE Gala was really one of the few moments where I and all the incredible nominees could have our face up there on the screen to show what we do.”
The day after the Gala Caso was applauded by all her colleagues. She said: “It was so humbling seeing my team excited for me. Even the young servers and the junior members of staff heard the news and came up to me to congratulate me. I felt proud to be someone that people might one day look up to.”
Far from a day job for her, the sommelier also runs Cuvee3, a beverage consultancy, and is part of the Élite Sommelier UAE Group.
She added: “It is just me pooling everyone, encouraging them to do more things related to wine. I am hosting a monthly wine tasting, where I gather together a group of restaurant sommeliers across Dubai get together to try wine, explore new flavours, and talk about how we can improve our offering and inspire each other. Of course, we are always busy, but we really try to prioritise those monthly meetings”
Looking ahead
At the moment Caso is focusing on Orange Hospitality’s upcoming Q4 launch, Josette in Dubai’s DIFC. She said: “The team and I are working on a unique French wine list and a really incredible selection of champagne.
“I love that all our restaurants are very wine driven, and our founder Omar Saideh truly champions me in my role. He loves that a woman is the wine director for the brands. Wine is a big part of our F&B offering. It always will be.”