Michaël Engelmann, a native of Alsace-Lorraine, France and currently Head Sommelier at the world-famous Restaurant Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney. With 3,700 selections Rockpool Bar & grill is the first in the Southern Hemisphere to hold a Wine Spectator Grand Award, the only in Australia. Engelmann matriculated at the renowned Lycée Simon Lazard culinary school and worked at a number of 2 and 3 Michelin- starred restaurants in France including L’Auberge du Cheval Blanc, L’Arnsbourg, Au Crocodile, Georges Blanc, followed by a few years at the prestigious Chewton Glenn in England and most recently a sommelier for 5 years at the award winning restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco.
In England, Engelmann passed with merit the WSET Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits. He also was a South-West regional finalist in the 2005 U.K. Sommelier of the Year competition and qualified for the national semi-finals.
Since relocating to the U.S. Engelmann has continued to develop his wine education. In June 2008 he took and passed with the highest score (Best-in-Class) the Introductory Sommelier exam (level I); in October of the same year he passed the Certified Sommelier exam (level II) through the Court of Master Sommeliers.
April 2009 Engelmann competed for and won the title of the American Sommelier Association’s Best Sommelier in America 2009. Shortly after Engelmann took and passed his Advanced Sommelier exam (level III) in Chicago; there he was awarded the Rudd Scholarship for achieving the highest score in all 3 exam areas.
October 2009, Engelmann was voted one of the five Best New Sommeliers of 2009 (rising stars) by Wine and Spirits magazine. He won the Johnston medal award in January 2010 in recognition for achieving the highest score in the Court of Master Sommelier Advanced examination in the US in 2009.
Michaël is currently studying and preparing to sit for his Master Sommelier examination this July.