License to drink: what it takes to be a sommelier

Wine-drinking, for most of us Filipinos, remains to be an alien concept. Unlike the staple soft drink that we often have for our salo-salo, wine is something we buy for occasional leisure. Most of the time, too, the glass of wine in hand becomes a mere accessory during a social gathering, as it is something we have yet to understand and appreciate fully.

 

When it comes to wine appreciation, a toast is in order for Gigi Varua, a girl who drinks wine for a living, a job foodies and wine enthusiasts can only dream of. 

 

“The best part is when I convert people into loving wine. And believe me, once you get a food and wine pairing right, you will never go back to eating just food. It will change you,” said Gigi, a licensed sommelier who currently works at Chef Jessie at Rockwell Club and Top of the Citi. 

 

I met Gigi during the World Malbec Day last April 17, a day being celebrated in Argentina, the largest producer of malbec wines, and in other 62 cities around the world. 

 

The Embassy of Argentina organized the first World Malbec Day in the Philippines, where they invited 12 importers to present their malbec wines for a wine-tasting event.

 

“The malbec wine has a fruity flavor with a medium to full body, sweet tannins that tones down and a velvety texture that make for a smooth, satisfying finish,” said Argentina’s Ambassador to the Philippines Joaquin Daniel Otero. 

 

Gigi was hopping from one booth to the next, sipping glass after glass, at times lingering in one. Her palate may be razor-sharp, but with a sparkle in her eye, she talks about wine in the most endearing and passionate way and sometimes, with a dash of humor. 

 

A sommelier by accident

 

“I love malbec. It’s easy to pair with a lot of dishes. It’s so versatile. My favorite is the fruity one, which tastes like blueberry pancakes. I will also go for the earthy malbec, which I’d pair with a duck dish with a fruitier sauce,” said Gigi, who, once you get her started about wine, never runs out of things to say. 

 

Surprisingly, Gigi became a sommelier by accident. She studied culinary arts in the US to become a chef, but during a wine course, her teacher told her she had a knack for wine. 

 

“So when I came home to the Philippines, I asked my current boss Chef Jessie for a job in the kitchen, but she asked me to do the wine instead. And it’s all the way downhill from there. Because once you learn your wine, the prices add up,” Gigi said, referring to her whopping food bills due to her high-end taste.

 

As a sommelier, it’s Gigi’s job to taste and purchase the wines and come up with a wine program. Aside from training the staff, she also has to work closely with the executive chef to know what kind of wine list she will come up with every month.

 

“Wine enhances the flavors so food and wine pairing is important. I ask Chef Jessie what the dish is. I consider the protein and the sauce. And think of the best wine to elevate the dish’s taste”, Gigi said. 

 

“It’s either you complement or contrast the food and wine. When you say complement, I’ll get the malbec that’s perfect for the meat because it enhances the meat. But for acid wines, white wines like chardonnay, it’d perfectly contrast a cream-based pasta,” added John Dave Duenas, Gigi’s companion who is also a wine enthusiast and one of the exhibitors representing R Wines and Co. 

 

For example, a rack of lamb is always best paired with a red wine, like a cabernet sauvignon.

 

“The properties of the cabernet sauvignon is that it has a lot of tannin and fruit. The properties will cut through the fat of the lamb. So you can eat a lot more,” Gigi said. 

 

Foie gras, on the other hand, is best paired with Sauternes, a sweet wine with a partially raisin taste.

 

“Our foie gras here has a raspberry honey sauce. It’s a very unctuous rich dish so I pair it with Sauternes, which is not that sweet so it doesn’t overpower the foie gras.”

 

Sober on the job

 

Though Gigi drinks wine for a living, she said she makes it a point never to get drunk at the workplace.

 

“I drink wine every day, but then I spit it out. I want to be sober for my job. And I also don’t want my palate to be overpowered.”

 

Asked if she ever gets tired of drinking wine, Gigi was quick to say no as she drinks wine for both work and leisure. It is already her way of life. 

 

To keep her palate strong, she stays away from junk food. 

 

“I eat mostly fresh food. And then of course, I drink as much good wine as I can afford. Or if not, you can try to smuggle your way to wine stores,” Gigi said with a straight face, which made me laugh.

 

For those budding wine enthusiasts, Gigi encourages them, especially women (there are only a few female sommeliers in the Philippines) to consider a wine steward career.

 

“You just have to be open to trying a lot of wine.  Be confident about describing it. And be passionate about sharing it with clients. Also it entails being humble. Because most Filipinos, they’re so scared of sommeliers, they think baka mapahiya sila. But for me, I won’t tell them my recommendation first. I’ll ask them what they want and then I’ll steer them to the right direction,” Gigi advised. —KG, GMA News