Matej Lacko Named Sommelier of Slovakia 2026

Pezinok/Štrbské Pleso – Matej Lacko has been named the best sommelier in Slovakia after winning the title of Sommelier of Slovakia 2026 in a competition organised by the Slovak Sommelier Association. He also placed third in the International Sommelier Competition.

‘I have been entering competitions since the Slovak Sommelier Association was founded. I participated as a junior and continue to compete today. Although there is a certain masochism to it, nothing reveals more about yourself than comparing yourself with the best,’ explains Matej Lacko, Sommelier at Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras. He offers hotel guests wines from the hotel’s unique wine cellar, where he has assembled a collection of more than 600 Slovak and international wines. ‘Most of the wines we sell are from Slovakia, and I enjoy showing guests that Slovak wines have what it takes to shine in all their glory,’ says Matej Lacko, noting that in recent years, in particular, there has been an increase in wines with distinctive and excellent ageing potential, matured in high-quality wooden barrels and sourced from vineyards with regulated yields, ensuring consistently high quality.

Matej Lacko is a graduate of the Hotel Academy on Mikovínyho Street in Bratislava. He worked in Ireland, where he gained experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant. He later worked in French Polynesia for a company operating large cruise ships and spent 13 years working alongside Michelin-starred chefs in London.

The Slovak Sommelier Championship, an international sommelier competition bringing together sommeliers from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, took place on 30 March at Šimák Castle in Pezinok. The competition is organised by the Association of Sommeliers of the Slovak Republic (ASSR), which was founded in 2000 and focuses on sommelierism, viticulture, winemaking and wine tasting within the context of modern gastronomy.