There are still many South Africans who
don’t care much for wine beyond broad descriptors like “red” and “white”. But
now that the world is recognising the country’s wine as among the best,
professional sommeliers in South Africa are on the rise.
“What is a sommelier?” you ask. “And what does it take to become one?”
According to Cape Wine Academy,
the core purpose of a sommelier is “to ensure that patrons are able to find a
wine within their budget that fits their tastes and complements their food”.
This explains why the Sommeliers
Association of South Africa is on a mission to “to ensure that South Africa
has its own professional board who shares the joy and energy of wine and
spirits”.
Now that you know a bit more, let’s listen
to four of Cape Town’s top sommeliers explain what they do.
Pearl
Oliver (Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel)
“I never thought of becoming a sommelier
until I started working on a wine estate and was exposed to wine for the first
time,” says Pearl Oliver. “Now that I am one, I can say that there wouldn’t
have been any other career more suitable to my personality.”
Pearl likes the fact that no two days are
the same. Sometimes she’ll walk into a calm day that includes checking emails,
meeting with suppliers, touching base with management, serving dinner, and
making her exit by midnight. On other days, she’ll be so rushed that she’ll
make it to 1am without remembering whether or not she had dinner!
“I always knew that I would have to put in
extra effort and work long hours,” says Pearl, who also sits on a few wine
panels and can taste up to 75 wines in a day. ”But the wine culture in our
country is an important one. It teaches discipline, respect, and love for the
soil we walk on.”
Tinashe
Nyamudoka (The
Test Kitchen)
“Call it fate, but I believe the profession
chose me,” says Tinashe Nyamudoka. “I took up the opportunity because I felt it
was something I would enjoy and that it would bring out the persona in me.”
On a daily basis, Tinashe reserves his
mornings for administration: emails, stock levels, menu changes, and so on. He’s
on the floor during lunch and then takes a short break to squeeze in a few
meetings, wine tastings, or related events wherever possible. Then, after the
intense dinner service, he calls it a day with a cold beer.
“I’m a wine lover for certain but I’m more of
a casual, approachable sommelier,” he says. “I try to use the same approach in
and out of work just to make wine enjoyment as simple and straightforward. Wine
is a keystone to pleasure but is buttressed by academics, intellect, science,
history and, to an extent, psychology. Our role is important because we are
able to bring all that into the restaurant environment and translate this
conundrum into a dining experience.”
Gregory
Mutambe (The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa)
“It feels like serendipity,” says Gregory
Mutambe. “I love wine and opportunity found me.”
For Gregory, a lot of research goes into
putting together a comprehensive wine list, which is why he often updates his
wine menu and is always on the lookout for new wines. On a daily basis, that
means attending tastings, creating pairings, meeting with suppliers, training
staff, and more. Oh, and let’s not forget about interacting with guests and
making appropriate recommendations based on what they like.
“I thought being a sommelier was simply a
job,” he says. “It does pay the bills, of course, but what I didn’t see coming
was that being a sommelier would turn into a lifestyle. It’s an incredible way
of making a living.”
Luvo
Ntezo (One&Only Cape Town)
“The first time I tried wine I was about 20,”
says Luvo Ntezo. “It was something unexpected; a different experience to
anything I had tried before!”
His day-to-day job involves ensuring that
hotel guests have memorable experiences. Whether it’s encouraging oenophiles to
try prestigious vintages or discover up-and-coming boutique South African
wines, it’s about taking taste buds on an amazing exploration of some of the
best wines the world has to offer.
“Being a sommelier is more than just having
a passion for wines,” he says. “Wine can’t just be about taste, colour, and ‘mouth
feel’. It must also tell a story. As a sommelier, you have to be that
storyteller. And there are some amazing South African stories of the wines and
the people behind them that need to be told.”