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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\n\u201cI was fortunate that my parents weren\u2019t the classic Asian family. I wasn\u2019t expected to be a doctor, an accountant or daddy\u2019s shop owner I suppose they kind of knew I wasn\u2019t going down that route.\u201d Sonal Clare admits, \u201cHaving none of that pressure I was able to start a career and go to University to study something I loved; which was Hospitality.\u201d Adding with a smile, \u201cFeel free to edit that out if it\u2019s on the \u201cedge\u201d\u2026we didn\u2019t have a shop anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting on a placement in Ireland, Clare got his first taste of working in a fine dining restaurant. His then manager encouraged him to join the restaurant\u2019s wine programme, \u201cI was like \u201cYeah, sure!\u201d, having never even drunk wine,\u201d he admits. It was there he got the wine bug and whilst at the Michelin-starred restaurant Purnell\u2019s in Birmingham he honed his wine skills, eventually managing a 250+ bin list, using his spare time to study every week about 10-15 wines in detail, in order to learn more.<\/p>\n
Clare says that he has been fortunate enough not to have encountered many hurdles in his career development.\u00a0 \u201cMy parents, who have Punjabi heritage, were not from a wine background. You could say I started quite late. I have had a few guests look slightly surprised when I come to the table, in the past, but its quickly smooths over when I give them suggestions and start to talk wine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up on a council estate in West London, me and my friends never thought about wine, but we loved music, hip hop and rap, for example. You\u2019d see rappers throwing champagne about and we\u2019d aspire to be like that!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He continues, \u201cI think that\u2019s what makes me a bit different from the ‘traditional’ sommelier, I\u2019ve not been classically trained, \u00a0I view wine and my job as fun, as opposed to it being hard graft.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPersonality is a key aspect for future generations of sommeliers,\u201d says Clare, \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be intimated by the stigma attached to the traditional wine world and price tags.\u00a0 Experience comes over time, patience is important and there are so many positives to working in an environment where you can learn on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n Clare is passionate, encouraging accessibility and challenging the stereotype that the wine world is difficult to penetrate.\u00a0 \u201cSocial media offers a platform to enable integration, sharing experiences and learning from the ‘cooler’ advocates of the wine world,\u201d he believes, \u201cOur peer\u2019s personalities help with integration and show how exciting the wine industry is.\u201d<\/p>\n Clare also feels that ethnic minorities, \u201cshould take more accountability. It is a two-way street after all,\u201d he says, \u201cintegration into learning about wine will be slow, it\u2019s a generational issue. It is lovely to see guests from ethnic backgrounds show their appreciation when I talk to them about my experiences and wine travels, whilst I guide them through the list. \u201c<\/p>\n Now an active advocate for diversity in hospitality Clare takes personal pride in potentially having an impact on future generations, \u201cwine is global and has a huge audience. By making the world of sommeliers and wine more inclusive our profession can grow, not just economically. The industry as a whole has a duty to illustrate what a great environment this is to work in and the opportunities available.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter all,\u201d he concludes, \u201cit\u2019s has given me opportunity to pair my Mums\u2019 cooking with some lovely wines; Krug Grande Cuv\u00e9e and samosas, being one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/sommelieredit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Wilderness-photo-by-Tom-Bird-1.jpg\")
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