Some recognitions not only celebrate a trajectory, but also a way of seeing, feeling and telling the story of gastronomy. This year, the Michelin Guide has placed that spotlight on Luis Baselga, sommelier and maître d’ at Smoked Room, awarding him the Sommelier Award 2026. A prize that recognises his sensitivity, precision and ability to build, glass by glass, an essential part of the experience.
The gala, held this November 25 at the Sohrlin Andalucía venue in Málaga, brought together the great figures of Spanish gastronomy in a night where, in addition to the coveted stars, the crafts that uphold excellence were celebrated: the dining room, young talent, mentorship and, of course, wine. There, accompanied by Quim Vila (founder of Vila Viniteca), Baselga took the stage to receive an award that has only existed for three editions and was previously granted to historic names such as Josep Roca and José Luis Paniagua.
Sensitivity as a compass
Since joining the Dani García Group in 2021, Baselga has built at Smoked Room a unique way of understanding wine. At 34 years old, trained at the Basque Culinary Center and with experience in emblematic restaurants, he has developed an intimate and emotional vision based on listening, precision and reading each guest.
At Smoked Room, an omakase-style temple where fire, technique and narrative coexist for only fourteen diners— his liquid proposal forms “the other half” of the gastronomic story. There, between embers and measured silences, he has turned each service into a living organism that adapts, evolves and breathes.
True to a style that avoids conventional pairings, he defends the concept of “agreement”, an honest union between dish and wine that emerges after hours of testing, stocks and sauces in his small laboratory at the back of the restaurant. His criteria are clear: serve only what moves him, while adjusting every decision to the sensitivity of the person sitting at the table.
For Baselga, excellence lies in reading the group, understanding its intention, finding the leader and fine-tuning every detail so that the experience flows and is shared.
He sums it up like this:
“Wine is a guest at the party. Its role is to accompany, guide and prolong what happens on the palate. I feel overwhelmed and very happy. It has been a year of hard work, and receiving this recognition is an enormous boost.”
A project where fire and wine tell the same story
Smoked Room was born in 2021 inside Leña Madrid as a nearly hidden, intimate space designed to disappear among smoke, embers and darkness. In just six months, it achieved an extraordinary milestone: two Michelin stars, later joined by a third in Dubai.
Since then, this Dani García Group project has become a complete sensorial experience where every dish is crafted through the absolute mastery of fire. Every wine chosen by Baselga extends, refines or embraces those flavours.
His cellar, alive and constantly evolving, converses with the restaurant’s three tasting menus. Three flame-driven narratives, each accompanied by its own liquid interpretation. And it is precisely that harmony —that way of weaving a shared story— that has turned his work into a reference both in Spain and internationally.
Massimiliano Delle Vedove, executive chef of Smoked Room, describes it this way:
“I couldn’t be happier to share this project with Luis, a friend and one of the best sommeliers in the country. For his talent and his commitment, he deserves everything.”
A recognition that looks toward the future
The Sommelier Award 2026 not only celebrates a rising career. It also strengthens the importance of wine and dining service within the gastronomic experience of the Dani García Group and reaffirms Smoked Room as one of the most influential spaces on the international scene.
A place where fire, wine and emotion meet to tell the same story.
A story that, in many ways, carries the silent, precise and honest signature of Luis Baselga.
Sommelier Award 2026 for Luis Baselga
