In a country, especially like ours, you’d never see women in certain careers. For example, you’ll never see a woman being a carpenter, bus driver, heavy machinery operator etc. In fact, you’d spot many female waitresses too, but never a female sommelier. Yes! Count the number of times in your head when you’ve been served by a female sommelier. None, right? Well, Kriti Malhotra, one of the handful of female sommeliers in the country is about to change that!
A wine sommelier is a wine server who has in-depth knowledge of various wines and even consults with the chef to pair different dishes with the best of wines. But it’s no easy feat. One has to do special courses and clear exams in order to become a sommelier. And that’s exactly what Kriti too had to do. Currently, Kriti works as a freelance sommelier and works on a project basis. We got in touch with her to know all about this unique career, how to select great wines and much more!
Firstly Kriti, tell us, what exactly does the job of a sommelier entail?
Sommelier is a French term to a wine server. He/she is someone who has been educated and trained for all the alcoholic beverages, however, specializes in wine. Wine is a very humble subject, unfortunately, people have made it too uptight. The best part about being a sommelier is I get to study and experience a lot of cultures, heritage, history through wines. Plus, I get to enjoy some fine foods, since the pairing of food and wine is an eminent part of my job. It’s a magical experience to make people experience wines, whiskeys, and other alcohols.
Great, how many female sommeliers do you think are there in the country?
Being a sommelier is rare, and being a lady sommelier is extremely rare. There are around 10 professional lady sommeliers in the country and maybe double or more is the male.
So, how does it feel to be one of the only few female sommeliers in the country, a field otherwise dominated by men?
Absolutely! Alcohol is a male-dominated industry and up till a few years back not very welcoming for women. I mean, it wasn’t even considered respectable! Although still sometimes I get people (both men and women) judging me for being in this industry! But if your passion is stronger than people’s judgment, there are no apprehensions. As my passion clouded my thoughts and my focus enabled me to look at my objectives beyond peoples comments or thoughts.
That’s such a beautiful thought. So, professionally, what does one needs to do if they want to choose this as a career option?
One needs to be passionate, dedicated, sincere towards the subject as it requires a lot of love and time along with love. Wine, like I said, is just not a beverage but a way of experiencing. Once you think you can dedicate yourself to the subject, then you need to taste as many wines as possible as it will help you develop and later evolve your palate. A good way to start for being qualified sommelier is to undergo WSET levels courses.
Okay. Can you tell us about different wine pairings with different kinds of food?
“Wine & Food Pairing”- remember wine and food pairing is not mathematics or factual. Its an art, it’s perceptive, it’s personal and much more. What you may like to eat or drink, I may not like and vice- versa. No two people’s palate is the same just like no one’s fingerprint is the same. As a golden rule, enjoy white meats with softer wines and red meats with more heavy wines. Like a Sauvignon Blanc goes great with salads with leafy vegetables, artichokes, zucchini and fish. And a Shiraz would be majestic with a lamb loin or a Rogan Josh.
Lovely. Let’s say if one doesn’t have much knowledge about wines, how can they figure if the particular wine is good or not?
I get a lot of one question “Which is a good wine and which is not”? Just remember- a glass of good wine is a wine which you enjoy. And most important- a wine which you can afford! Just be cautious about wine, it shouldn’t have musty aromas or wet sock or damp room aromas, that means the wine has gone off.
And lastly, we’ve got to ask you, which are your favourite wines?
I love the whole concept of wine, from growing to making to consuming. Each wine bottle has a story to tell and I love stories, so it would be a bit difficult for me to pick up one story. However, there is one wine I enjoy very frequently and that is Malbec, from Mendoza, Argentina. I love the dark, inky rich berry luscious wine with after notes of chocolate. Lastly, I want to add- all my whines find an answer in the wines I taste, and all the wines I taste make me a sommelier!
All right, people, we hope now you have enough knowledge about wines. And you know exactly what to order on your next outing!
