Manuel Hornemann

Wine & Sake Expert | WSET Certified Educator | Cultural Lecturer

Manuel Hornemann is a German wine and sake expert, DipWSET, WSET Certified Educator, cultural speaker, and internationally experienced hospitality specialist. He combines wine, sake, film culture, storytelling, and intercultural experiences in inspiring lectures, workshops, and executive programs.

Employability:: Boardroom speaker, Keynote spreker, Moderator, Panel, Training, Workshop
Languages:: english, German
Categories:: Communication

Culture and Society

Day chairs

Entrepreneurship

Global & International

Government and Politics

Humour & Entertainment

Inspiration

Leadership & Strategy

Marketing & Sales

Sustainability

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About Manuel Hornemann

Manuel is one of the few WSET Certified Educators in Germany, a DipWSET wine and sake expert, and an international cultural speaker. After living in Africa and New Zealand for over ten years, he now travels the world for several months a year to explore different cultures, give lectures, and gain new insights. His presentations are at the intersection of wine, hospitality, culture, and storytelling.

Before specializing in wine and sake, Manuel studied film and television production at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and earned a Master of Arts in Screenwriting in the United Kingdom. He then lived and worked in Africa and New Zealand for over ten years. During this time, he worked for the German Embassy and the Goethe-Zentrum in Mozambique and at the Film Institute of Victoria University of Wellington, focusing on intercultural and postcolonial perspectives.

During his years abroad, Manuel developed a deep fascination for quality wine, hospitality, and cultural storytelling. He pursued his wine and sake education at the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), where he obtained both the prestigious WSET Diploma and the WSET Level 3 Award in Sake with Distinction. As one of the few German WSET Certified Educators, he knows how to convey complex knowledge about wine and sake in an accessible, accurate, and inspiring way.

Today, Manuel works as a speaker aboard international luxury cruise ships and develops lectures, workshops, leadership dinners, and exclusive executive experiences for companies, premium brands, and culturally curious audiences. In his presentations, he uses wine, sake, and culture not just as lifestyle topics but primarily as powerful tools to explore larger questions. How do we make decisions in a world full of uncertainty? Why do context, memories, and perception determine our judgment? What can family businesses learn from the world of wine? And how do subtlety, precision, and exceptional service shape the essence of modern luxury?

His programs are available in both Dutch and English and range from inspiring lectures and cultural keynotes to interactive workshops, carefully curated tastings, and exclusive executive retreats.

Topics

1. Wine, sake, and cultural storytelling

Wine and sake are much more than just drinks; they tell stories about landscape, craftsmanship, memories, rituals, and identity. In this lecture, Manuel demonstrates how a sensory experience can lead to a deeper understanding of culture, hospitality, and human connection.
2. The art of wine tasting and perception

A wine tasting is a fascinating laboratory for our perception. In this interactive session, Manuel examines how expectations, language, context, price, and status influence our judgment – and what lessons that offers for decision-making, even far beyond the world of wine.
3. Making decisions under uncertainty

How do you make the right choice when information is incomplete and signals are ambiguous? Using blind tastings as an experiential method, Manuel makes biases, assumptions, price anchors, and group dynamics tangible. An inspiring keynote or workshop on leadership, strategy, and effective communication.
4. The mindset of luxury

Modern luxury is no longer just about price or possession. In this lecture, Manuel shows why meaning, precision, simplicity, memories, and genuine hospitality are increasingly at the heart of premium experiences—from top gastronomy and exclusive wines to travel, design, and strong brands.
5. The art of Japanese subtlety

Japanese subtlety is not an absence, but an expression of precision. This presentation connects Japanese aesthetics, silence, simplicity, respect for materials and rituals with themes like leadership, brand identity, design, and the experience of luxury.
6. Omotenashi

Omotenashi is the Japanese art of anticipatory hospitality. In this lecture or workshop, Manuel demonstrates how attention, timing, respect, and small gestures can transform a service experience into an unforgettable event. Relevant for hospitality, premium brands, private banking, healthcare, and customer experience.
7. An inheritance in a bottle

What can family businesses learn from renowned wineries? Wine serves as a powerful metaphor for reputation, succession, long-term thinking, and maintaining a consistent identity across generations. This lecture is specially developed for family businesses, entrepreneurs, private banking, and leadership audiences.
8. The story behind the bottle

Some brands tell a story, while others merely describe a product. Through wine, film, and storytelling, Manuel shows how origin, time, craftsmanship, landscape, and emotion can develop into powerful and memorable brand stories.
9. Between control and letting go

Five Months Through Southeast Asia With Three Children Under Six Years

A personal, honest, and inspiring travel lecture about family, uncertainty, and the art of letting go. Manuel shares what happens when carefully made plans collide with the reality of traveling as a family—and why the least controlled moments often create the most valuable memories.