Massimo Castellani was born in Florence. He graduated at the University of Florence, and now works as a professional sommelier (registered in AIS since 1983), wine and food consultant and journalist. He is AIS Florence Delegate, AIS Tuscany Referent Teacher, and Taster of the Tasting Commission of the Chamber of Commerce of Florence. Professor of “Wine and Food Culture” at the Master of Marketing and Management for Wine Companies at the University of Florence, as well as a Professor at the AIS–ALMA Master Sommelier.
The courses that see him protagonist take him all over Italy and abroad, and are particularly appreciated. He has held various wine seminars abroad in collaboration with ICE, especially in Asia. Specialist in food–wine pairings, his skills are required for events of great importance: after attending Vinitaly for 21 editions, as a sommelier at the stand of the Chianti Rufina Consortium (of which he has played for over ten years the role of secretary of the Technician Committee), he participated in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the admirable tastings organized by Carpenè Malvolti focused on Sparkling Wine Art, and again in 2012 he led emotional tastings dedicated to Tuscany (“Toscana: new feelings”). He held seminars in Shanghai on Pairings between Chinese food and Tuscan wines. He collaborated in the preparation of AIS textbooks.
In 1993 he was the first sommelier in Tuscany and again in 1993 and in 1994 Italian Vice–Champion of Sommeliers.
