WINE AND CULTURE
How do you balance the beliefs of your family, religion, society or culture with a career in wine? Wine professionals from diverse backgrounds discuss overcoming very personal challenges on the way to success
L ike a language, wine must be learned; theoretically, anyone can master the lexicon if they apply themselves. But wine as a subject also encompasses history, culture, science, even certain religions.
For aspiring sommeliers – or anyone with the desire to work in wine – growing up in a Western society, where wine is culturally accepted, makes pursuing these careers easier. For the language of wine was written in English and European romance languages. Even tasting notes reflect the shared experience of Western food, from fruits to spices.
So, how does an aspiring sommelier hailing from a non-traditional, even non-existent wine culture – or a family, society or religion that disapproves of alcohol – get their start? And how do they compete with their peers born with the advantage of origin?
Nutawan Jumpanak
Chief sommelier at Anantara Hotels, Bangkok, Thailand
From Chaiyaphum province, Thailand
Waterfalls, rice paddies and mountains fill the vistas of Chaiyaphum province in central northeastern Thailand where Nutawan (Nuch) grew up. Nuch’s upbringing in this small region on the western edge of the larger zone of Isan, known for its spicy cuisine, never included wine.
In 2004, Nuch graduated from high school and moved to Bangkok to work as a bartender at the Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa (now the Antara Riverside Bangkok Resort). She practised communicating in English by reading the back label of wine bottles on the job. ‘When I first started working in hospitality, especially in a bar, my family did not approve. Where I come from, people get intoxicated on cheap, locally distilled spirits; a woman working in a bar was seen as a bad girl,’ she describes. ‘It just wasn’t the norm for a woman from the countryside.’
In 2011, Nuch relocated to the US for a job with Disney Cruises. Then in 2012, the beverage manager noticed her interest in wine and asked if she’d like to train as a sommelier.
‘I said yes! I was handed a book called The Wine Bible, by Karen MacNeil. I will never forget the manager saying that if I was willing to put in the time, I could make it. I read that book over and over,’ she says.
Nuch stayed with Disney for seven years, earning her Certified Sommelier Certificate with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2017. The following year she returned to Thailand to run the distinguished wine programme at Soneva Kiri. Peers encouraged her to enter Thailand’s Best Sommelier Competition and, in 2019, Nuch became
