Born in 1981, Luca Gardini took his first steps in the sommellerie world at a very young age, revealing such talent and determination as to allow him to join the brigade of the prestigious Enoteca Pinchiorri (3 Stars Michelin restaurant) and then begin a nearly eight-year collaboration with chef Carlo Cracco at Cracco (2 Stars Michelin restaurant). In 2011, he decided to devote himself exclusively to wine communication, establishing himself, in just a few years, as one of the most influential palates internationally, as well as the first Italian critic to join Wine Searcher’s wine-critic roster. Flanked by a pull of experts, in 2012 he published the “Encyclopedia of Wine”, a thorough volume covering viticulture, enology, enography and tasting; he also regularly presents the “Top 100”, a selection of some of the best labels from around the world.

Since 2012, he has been editing the weekly column “Gazza Golosa” for the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. Together with Luciano Ferraro, he oversees the guide “I Migliori 100 Vini e Vignaioli d’Italia”, published by Corriere della Sera. In 2015, he created “Il Codice Gardini”, a manual designed for wine lovers, written in an immediate and accessible language. In the same year he launched with great success the website gardininotes.com, now Wine Killer, an entirely English portal dedicated to Luca’s wine tastings from around the world. Since 2018, he has undertaken a collaboration with Forbes Italia magazine as head of the wine section.

Among the titles achieved during his career are: Best Sommelier of Italy 2004, “Oscar del Vino” as Best Sommelier at a Restaurant 2005, Villa Sandi Award, Best Sommelier of Europe 2009, Best Sommelier of the World 2010. In 2011, he was appointed testimonial of Barolo DOCG for the 2007 vintage by Enoteca Regionale del Barolo and, for the occasion, a commemorative label, created by Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin, which is kept at the Barolo Museum, was dedicated to him. He was appointed Knight of the Order “Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” on December 27, 2018. Recently, he was awarded BWW – Best Italy Wine Critic of the World 2022 – by tastingbook.com, the largest community of wine professionals and enthusiasts, with tens of millions of visits per year.