Interview with Yang Lu, Peninsula’s Sommelier

This month (October 2011), we are meeting Yang Lu, the Sommelier of the famous Peninsula hotel in Shanghai, a branch of the Hong Kong’s most historical hotel and luxury property.

1) Can you present yourself?
I was born in Xinjiang and came to shanghai when I was 12. Then I attended university in Canada and majored in physics at University of Toronto. But I was not great at that because I lost my interest. I touched a bit on wine when I was taking a bartending course, and a trip to vineyard made me to decide to study wines. Then in the last year of my university, I enrolled in a 2-year winemaking and viticulture diploma program at Niagara College. During the course of the program, I was exposed to the profession of sommelier, and it seemed very interesting to me. Also I want to learn about wines from all over the world. So in the 2nd year of winemaking school, I also registered to study sommelier diploma program at International Sommelier Guild. By the time I graduated from winemaking school, I also graduated from the sommelier diploma, which to my knowledge made me the first ever internationally certified sommelier from mainland. Then I worked in a winery called Le Clos Jordanne for 8 months. After that, I got into restaurant business in Toronto, and gradually worked my way up. In 2009, I came back Shanghai to be the opening sommelier for the Peninsula Shanghai till now.

2) So you realize you want to become a sommelier and you start working in a restaurant to learn from scratch. How was it? You, the used to be physics student washing dishes? It must have been hard in the beginning no?

I don’t want to say it’s hard, but it’s definitely necessary and different. It’s a cliché to say I started with washing dishes for couple of days, but that’s just a process I need to get through. Sommelier is a relatively independent role in restaurant, but it’s still a team work. And modern sommelier does much more than just recommending and serving wines on the floor. It’s very important for sommeliers to understand all the different positions of a restaurant. If you don’t know how to be, or understand the job of a food runner, captains, hostess or managers, you cannot become a good sommelier.

3) In which restaurants did you work in Canada?

I worked at a winery called Le Clos Jordanne, which is a high-end joint venture between Vincor (the biggest wine company in Canada) and Boisset (a power house in Burgundy). The winery is specialized in pinot noir and chardonnay. Then I worked two restaurants in Toronto, Canoe Restaurant and Bar at first, then Bite Me Restaurant by Marc Thuet. I learnt the skill of service there.

4) At the same time, you start sommelier competitions and wine classes and you start to be quite successful, right?

The first competition I participated in is the first Penfolds China Sommelier Competition in Shanghai in 2008. I was fortunate to get the 1st place, because my service is not very refined and up to the standard at that time, but I won because of my knowledge and tasting was stronger than other participants. In 2010, I was the champion for first Best Sommelier for French Wines Competition organized by Sopexa, and the champion for the 2nd China National Sommelier Competition. Internationally, I was 2nd place for the first Greater China Sommelier Competition in Hong Kong, and 4th place for International Jeunes Sommelier competition in Spain, organized by Chaines des Rotisseur for sommeliers under 32 years old.

In terms of certification, besides graduated from international Sommelier Guild, I was fortunate to become the 1st from mainland to pass Certified Sommelier Exam from Court of Master Sommeliers, and one of currently 4 people in mainland completed WSET Level 4 Diploma.

5) And why did you come back to China? You had already done a lot of things in Canada? Was it not difficult to start again in China?

China is my home country, my family and friends are here. Also the wine market here is booming tremendously. I have advantage over local sommeliers because of my educational background, and over foreign sommeliers because I can speak Chinese. It was very challenging at first, because I have never worked in China, I don’t know the market, and many things are different from Canada. But I am lucky enough to manage to get by, and still remain a sommelier till now.

6) Yes China wine industry is booming. Imported wines of course, but Chinese are also starting to do good wine. What do you think?

Chinese wines still have a long way to go, but we have been witnessing some very positive signs and great progress already in recent years. Of course Grace Vineyard has been the leading quality-oriented producer. There are a few smaller wineries that have gained much reputation as well, including Silver Heights and Jia Bei Lan. It seems the number of small-scale wineries is growing fast. I am very sure there will be more and more good Chinese wines. But it will take much more time, investment and effort to produce a truly great wine.

7) The wine that left you the best memory so far?

Probably tasting with Aubert de Villaine from DRC in 2009. He came to Shanghai, and guided us through the 2005 vintage. Not only I tasted great wines and learnt a lot, but I also witnessed a true legend in wine industry, and understood what made him so great. The day before the tasting, I was personally serving a hairy crab to him at our Chinese restaurant. That was fun too.