Disfrutar sommelier advocates guest-led, less formal wine service

At Disfrutar in Barcelona, head sommelier Rodrigo Briseño says the service should start with guests’ preferences, not a formal lesson in wine. In an interview with La Vanguardia, he argued that complicated explanations and rigid protocols risk putting younger diners off. His approach is to make the experience welcoming for guests with different levels of wine knowledge.

Briseño oversees selection, purchasing and cellar management for a collection of more than 1,500 labels, as well as pairings for the restaurant’s dishes. He joined Disfrutar in 2018 after studying tourism and hotel management in Spain, graduating from the Barcelona School of Hospitality and completing WSET courses.

The profile describes his work as balancing guest expectations with individual needs, including language barriers. Briseño’s longer-term ambition is to create an informal setting where people can share wine without feeling lectured.