Li Meiyu was accredited with an Advanced Sommelier status by the Court of Master Sommelier in 2014, a step closer to the Master of Sommelier. (Photo : www.cityweekend.com.cn)
Li Meiyu has been adjudged the first female advanced sommelier in China, a job previously unknown but which is now considered a new profession in the country.
And what exactly is a sommelier? A sommelier is a wine steward, a professional who is trained and knowledgeable about wine and all the aspects of wine service.
Li was accredited with an Advanced Sommelier status by the Court of Master Sommelier in 2014, a step closer to the Master of Sommelier. She also won China's Best French Wine Sommelier Competition in 2009, which was credited to her confidence, fluency in French and elegant wine serving.
The China Daily reported that a sommelier is a brand new profession in China, and it was not considered as a profession until 2014 when a book that classifies jobs and occupations was released, listing it as a legitimate job.
Thirty-year-old Li said that being a sommelier requires extensive wine knowledge and experience as well as familiarity with etiquettes in introducing and serving wines to pair with food and being a versatile manager of a wine menu and stocks.
"But I think the most important part of being a sommelier is to love your life and to observe life, observe the people behind the wines," Li told the China Daily.
Li said that she is distinct from her peers since she is a well-rounded person: "I practice culinary skills, I love painting and travel, and I connect these facades of life with wines to enhance my understanding of wine."
The China Daily said that Li started her interest in being a sommelier when she toured Burgundy in 2008 and tasted 18 wines, out of curiosity. She was then pursuing her master's degree in business management at a university in France.
After that, she went on looking for free-tasting events in France which eventually led her into her present profession.
During her training, Li said that she had tasted and reviewed more than 30 wines every day, but she normally tastes more than 80 wines a day when new wines are released or during wine events, the report said.
According to China Daily, she has recently screened more than 400 wines in two weeks for the new wine menu of her employer, Park Hyatt Beijing.
Li told the news site that female sommeliers have their advantages since consumers often trust them and better understand their budget concerns, and also make fewer mistakes on the menu.
"With the Chinese economy rising, our guests have more dispensable incomes. That means more high-end restaurants value the roles sommeliers play to upgrade their offerings," Li said.
"I'm very glad to see that more young people are joining the profession along with the increasing market demand for professional sommelier service," she added.
