Sommelier Lesley Liu On Being A Role Model For Women In A Male-Dominated Industry
No job is a 'man's job'
Lesley Liu is an assistant sommelier at Odette who believes that fear should not stop you from opening doors when opportunity comes knocking. This is why she jumped straight into the wine industry despite it being male-dominated. Her advice for women who share her interest â don't be intimidated.
âSpeak with confidence, be yourself, always know what you are saying and say it with strength. Be a role model,â she says. âThrough hard work and experience, you can develop confidence and bring value to the table. And never hesitate to throw an idea out there; it might just be what your team needs.â
âItâs also important to shut down negativity, maintain a positive attitude and focus on what you want to achieve,â she adds.Â
The 29-year-old Taiwanese admits she feels empowered when sheâs able to mentor others. In fact, she is open to taking sommeliers under her wing and encourages more women to pick up the trade.
âWhen I arrived in Singapore, I joined the Sommelier Association of Singapore. It is an amazing group of like-minded professionals who have so much to share about wine and the industry. I have been a member for two years now, and I highly recommend anyone new to the industry to join it,â she said.
To her, mentoring other women empowers them with kindness and strength and helps make their aspirations a reality.
The sommelier world might be a male-dominated industry but Lesley believes itâs someoneâs personality traits and not their gender that make them suitable for the job. She reckons a successful sommelier has to be observant, instinctive and attentive with regard to their guest. They should also be generous in sharing their knowledge with their peers and be a team player too.
âWine, to me, is a journey of passion, knowledge and fascination,â she shares. âI believe all sommeliers, whether male or female, are similarly motivated. We are bound inexplicably by the love for this amazing tipple that has endless stories to tell â from history to science and even art.
âI do not view gender as a defining factor of how good at the job one is. My philosophy is that wine should be for everyone, regardless of gender or background,â she adds.
However, she does admit she finds herself working harder in order to prove herself â although itâs not necessarily because sheâs a woman in a manâs world.
âI do feel I must work harder so there wonât be a reason for anyone to say that I cannot do it because Iâm a woman,â she says. âThis, however, comes from within, rather than any external pressure. In my mind, I have âgirl powerâ but itâs not so much the need to be âpowerfulâ, but rather to be empowered by my passion and emotions.â
Lesleyâs interest in wine began thanks to her fatherâs tipple of choice â whisky. She describes him as âa whisky manâ who had a glass of the drink after a hard dayâs work. As she got older, she became more curious about the drink and wanted to learn more about it and the difference between various types of alcohol, to share her fatherâs interest.
After studying International Trade with a major in Accounting in university, she decided she wanted a career in the F&B industry so pursued hospitality studies after graduating. She did this at the Department of Food and Beverage Management at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan.
Her first job in the industry was at Le MoĂ»t with Chef Lanshu Chen (Veuve Clicquot Asiaâs Best Female Chef for 2014) in 2015. She joined as a commis in the service department and left as Senior Captain. Although she wasnât a sommelier at the time, she worked closely with the sommelier team. Her interest in wine had grown by then and Chef Chen encouraged her to pursue her dream.
Lesley left Taiwan and moved to Shanghai in 2018, then to Singapore the year after. While in Shanghai, she passed her Certified Level of Court of Master Sommelier exam.
âI arrived in Singapore in 2019 by chance, through reconnecting with a Taiwanese ex-colleague, who was working in Singapore,â recalls the 29-year-old. âShe passed my resume to the head sommelier of Odette, a three MICHELIN star restaurant, and I have been working there ever since. I am constantly learning and improving myself with certifications, competitions and building a network with industry professionals.
âI love that Singapore is one big melting pot with different ethnic groups and cultures, making it very interesting. This translates to the foodscape as well â what variety! I also appreciate how efficient and well-planned the country is. Also, the drinking culture is very developed here, and this is not just limited to wine,â she adds.
It has been said that, if you do what you love, youâll never work a day in your life. Lesley follows this adage as she genuinely loves what she does and the industry sheâs in. Her job as assistant sommelier involves working very closely with the head sommelier to assist with planning the wine list and training the service team. On the backend, she is also responsible for inventory, liaising with wine suppliers, arranging wine tastings and handling administrative matters.
âFor me, wine is life. It is essential for any occasion â when Iâm down, a glass cheers me up; when Iâm celebrating, a glass makes it a moment to remember,â she shares.
One of her earliest experiences with wine as a professional was enjoying a Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley, California, with the owner of the chateau in Taiwan. She describes the experience as âdivine and unforgettableâ. As a wine lover, working in the industry in Singapore is a bonus for Lesley.
âThe wine industry in Singapore is very open and inclusive, there is so much camaraderie and sharing,â she explains.
However, it doesnât come without its pitfalls: âBeing in the F&B industry means time away from family and friends on public holidays and weekends. Itâs not easy but I am thankful for an amazing support system from my family in Taiwan and my friends here, who have become family too.â
If itâs a loved oneâs birthday, why not pick a vintage of his or her year of birth?
Full-bodied reds such as Spicier Old Vines Zinfandel from St. Francis 2015, Sonoma County, California work really well.
The wine dominates with Zinfandel but blends with petite syrah and a few reds. I last tried it in Shanghai at a sommelier gathering in a Xinjiang mutton barbecue restaurant. The spicy, liquorice, dark fruit character of this wine makes it full-bodied yet balanced. Thatâs when I knew it will go well with barbecued foods.
Think of your favourite dish and the flavour profile it carries â Strong? Fresh? Light? Spicy? Then lean towards a wine that shares similar traits.
My favourite dish is my mumâs Braised Pork Rice with Soy Sauce (Lu Rou Fan), that is full of flavour and texture. It goes really well with a Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Rutherford, Napa Valley, which has a beautiful complexity, perfume and nuance on the nose. In the glass, the wine amplifies with time. Since I have not been able to return home for two years now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this helps me manage my homesickness somewhat!
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Donât be too intimidated by the price. Set your budget and stick to it. Youâll find something you like.
Text: Balvinder Sandhu/HerWorld