10 facts about Dima Kizeev, head sommelier of PROBKA FAMILY restaurants in St. Petersburg.
Dima was born and raised in the Far East, in the city of Khabarovsk. He studied automotive engineering and road safety and got his degree in this field. Dima even worked as a car mechanic for a couple of years!
10 years ago he became interested in coffee: at first it was a hobby, then it became a job. For three years he worked as a barista, studied the topic and participated in different competitions. Unexpectedly, this was precisely the starting point – the beginning of his path to working as a sommelier :)
Dima moved to St. Petersburg in 2014 and almost immediately began working in one of the first wine bars – Vinostudia on Rubinshteina street.
Dima has a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) diploma and he holds a very special title – he's a knight in the Confraria do Vinho do Porto community.
His favorite thing about being a sommelier is communicating with guests, of course, selecting wine and serving it. When guests are happy, it fills you up 100%!
Dima always has +- 60 different items in his home wine collection.
A big “wine” dream is to try Bordeaux 1855.
As for his favorite wine, Dima prefers French wines or modern style, subtle and juicy :)
In his spare time he enjoys rock climbing and travels a lot with his wife.
She also loves African hedgehogs! :)