Florencia Rey

Maido, Lima

Creative wine master pouring a fresh approach

Florencia Rey is giving her team at Maido – crowned The Best Restaurant in Latin America 2023 – another reason to celebrate. With her nomination as Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier 2023, the Argentinian takes another trophy back to Lima, the city that she has called home for 12 years.

Rey was born in Lobos, in the Buenos Aires Province, and showed an interest in the gastronomic world early on. Beyond helping her mother and grandmother cook, watching cooking shows and practicing her learnings on the weekends, she would also sneak away to smell her family’s glasses after a celebration. The fascinating world of wine was beginning to take a hold on her.

In 2001, after studying nutrition for a year at university, she decided to switch careers to pursue her passion for gastronomy, going against her parents’ advice to follow her heart. She worked in the industry until she enrolled in the Escuela Argentina de Sommelier in 2008, then joined the team of celebrated restaurant Astrid y Gastón in Lima.

Working alongside chef Gastón Acurio, she developed a passion for Peruvian gastronomy and especially for the country’s most famous beverage, pisco. In 2011, she embarked on a trip to learn more about this unique spirit made from grapes, unaware that it would set her on a new life path as a full-time wine researcher and expert.

Rey has worked as sommelier at other Lima institutions, such as chef Jaime Pesaque’s Mayta as well as Central (The World’s Best Restaurant 2023), but it was upon joining Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura’s Maido in 2014 that she fully realised her potential. Here, Rey curates a diverse wine list that includes both Peruvian and international wines, with special attention paid to white wines, which pair perfectly with the Nikkei menu.

Among the innovations she has introduced, the Argentinian likes to surprise guests during the tasting menu by integrating beverages beyond wine to offer a rich and fresh experience. In her pairing, diners might find disruptive, but fitting options such as sake served in a teapot, fermented drinks like chicha and unique types of tea.

Curious and always willing to learn, Rey brings a brave, creative and refreshing perspective to the dining experience at Maido, alongside a firm dedication to understand guests’ preferences and complement the flavours of Tsumura’s dishes. The talented and charismatic Beronia Latin America's Best Sommelier 2023 is living proof of the importance of working hard and following your heart.

Contact