From a Spreadsheet to an AI Sommelier

From Naples to Zurich

Born in Naples, primary school in Italy — at eleven, Isidoro moved to Switzerland, to the canton of Zurich. He finished school and completed an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer: training that teaches precision and system. Later came an Executive MBA at the University of Zurich, with an exchange at Stanford University in the USA.

Italian roots, Swiss rigour, American entrepreneurial spirit — this mix still shapes how wine-pairing.online is built: passionate about enjoyment, uncompromising about methodology.

Apprenticeship years in Châteauneuf-du-Pape

In 1999, the hobby became a profession. Isidoro spent his formative wine years where wine is craft, not theory: in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For several months on site he accompanied the harvest and the bottlings — from vineyard to bottle.

What followed: visits to several hundred wine producers and thousands of tastings. Knowledge you cannot get from books — and which today informs every one of Henri’s recommendations.

18 million bottles a year

As CEO, Isidoro led Switzerland’s largest wine importer and repositioned the company — with an annual volume of more than 18 million bottles. Buying, tasting and selling at that scale teaches two things: which wines truly deliver quality, and what people actually drink — beyond scores and wine snobbery.

The detour that made it all possible

Then came a detour into the world of design furniture: first as CEO in Swiss specialist retail, then as owner. There he revolutionised online shopping for design furniture — and successfully sold the company in 2025.

Digital entrepreneurship plus three decades of wine experience: wine-pairing.online was born exactly at that intersection.

A spreadsheet became Henri

For years, Isidoro kept a hand-maintained spreadsheet: which wine goes with which dish — and why? Acidity, tannin, fat, sauce, cooking method. That spreadsheet became the 12-variable methodology, and the methodology became Henri, the AI sommelier — trained on the knowledge of thousands of tastings, available to everyone, free and without signup.

What we believe

Wine should bring joy, not intimidation. There is no "right" or "wrong" — only better or less well-reasoned recommendations. That is why Henri explains every recommendation instead of just naming bottles. Enjoyment without rules, knowledge without elitism.