MEET THE SOMM | Elton Muço

Elton Muço was born in Lushjne in Albania, two hours south of the capital Tirana, in 1982. After learning his trade in Rome, he honed his sommelier career in London, setting his sights on 67 Pall Mall, where he was recently promoted to Head Sommelier and Lounge Operations

Growing up in Albania, there was always a bottle of red wine on the table, and I would try a little bit here and there once I was 16 or so. I didn’t think too deeply about it, but it instilled in me a mindset that wine is part of the meal, part of the culture.

When I was 21, I moved to Rome, to study Literature and Philosophy at Sapienza University. I didn’t want to ask my family to support my studies, so I found a job as a waiter in a restaurant – a place called Baccanale. In the morning, I’d be studying Freud, and in the evening, I was serving up spaghetti carbonara. The manager, Roberto, evidently saw something in me – a bit more organisation and work ethic, perhaps, than my colleagues – and he suggested I train as a bartender. So I did some courses and started to learn about spirits, liquors, beers and cocktails. But by the time I’d finished university, bartending felt like a bit of a small world to me, and I was looking for something more. So I said to myself, why not try a wine course?

I enrolled with the Fondazione Italiana Sommelier, and all their best teachers were in Rome, so it was perfect. Once I’d done the courses, I started taking on more sommelier duties at a sister restaurant, Osteria Flaminia, which had a bigger wine offering. And as I started learning more, I fell more and more in love with wine – I loved learning about the different grape varieties and the different regions. And being in Italy, the food-and-wine culture becomes part of you, automatically.

Of course, most of the wines we served were Italian – that‘s only natural in a country with so many grape varieties and regions. It was a great feeling, because your palate is constantly evolving – it becomes part of you. But on the flipside, I wanted to learn about international wines. So in 2017, I came to London. I’d never been before, but I needed to push myself further, and I knew there were many, many Michelin-starred restaurants here. I also knew about 67. I even organised a visit to the Club when I first arrived, posing as a prospective Member, just so I could see the place. And I started following the work of [core wine team] Ronan Sayburn MS, Gareth Ferreira MS, Terry Kandylis – I had it in my mind that I needed to be ready to work with these guys when an opportunity came up. That was my goal.

I sometimes think back to the wine I used to drink back home. It would have been Kallmet, a local variety – a sort of rustic version of Sangiovese. Today, Brunello di Montalcino is my favourite wine, and I love the traditional styles, like Biondi Santi. Kallmet isn’t quite that, but when I was back in Albania this summer, I had some really elegant, fresh local whites, made from a variety called Pulëz. Maybe I’ll see if we can get one on the list…