MEET THE SOMM | Ranjeet Shirke
London Sommelier Ranjeet Shirke grew up in Mumbai, India, where wine was simply not a thing in his community. After a circuitous route around Asia, the Middle East and the UK, he eventually found his way to the London Club – but even then, his arrival at 67 Pall Mall was far from plain sailing…
I grew up within a teetotal family where alcohol, and especially wine, was completely alien to me. I did a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at a very good hotel school and then, because I was not so good in the kitchen, I started working as a waiter. Within a couple of days, I dropped a whole tray of Champagne glasses so I thought, you know what? Those bartenders behind the bar are mixing some great drinks, maybe I should try that. So I joined them, and that was my first serious role within the drinks world.
When I started taking bartending a bit more seriously, I realised I needed to move somewhere where the drinks industry was more developed, so in 2010 I moved to Singapore and then, two years later, to Dubai, where I got a job at the Royal Meridien, a five-star hotel with nine restaurants. I worked in a Mexican restaurant, making margaritas, doing flare shows with fire, that sort of thing. Then I went to the Armani Hotel at Burj Khalifa, where I managed a couple of bars, and eventually the beverage manager said to me, ‘You might be great at making cocktails, but the world of drinks is not just about spirits. You need to learn about wine too.’ That’s when I started doing my Wine and Spirit Education Trust formal credentials – Levels One, Two and Three.
I started working in the Italian fine dining restaurant of the Armani Hotel, where I was exposed to Amarone, Barolo, Chianti Classicos and other great Italian wines. Back then, I liked big, bold, full-flavoured wines. Rich Amarones were my favourite – I think because, being Indian, I have a sweet palate. Light whites and Champagne were way away from my taste…
In 2018, my parents were retiring, and I felt it was time to go back to Mumbai. But I carried on studying, and registered with the Court of Master Sommeliers. I became certified, and I was 100% sure that Mumbai was the place where I was going to work and grow in hospitality. But within a couple of months I realised I wasn’t doing myself justice. I was studying the premiers and grands crus of Burgundy, the AVAs of Napa, the crus of Barolo, but in India, there are only two really good wine importers, and import taxes of 180–200%. So you just didn’t see any of these wines. I took a step back from studying wine, and went towards restaurant management, but my passion for wine was always in my heart. So in the end, I knew I had to move again, and after a year in Bahrain, where the wines are also heavily tariffed, in 2022 I came to the UK.
I found a role in an Indian fine dining restaurant in Cheltenham, The Mahal. It’s a great place, with a fantastic menu and work ethic. But then I saw that 67 were advertising for a sommelier. I knew all about the Club, of course – if you’re passionate about wine, it’s the benchmark. And I knew [former Head of Wine] Ronan Sayburn MS, because he was the first person from The Court of Master Sommeliers to come to India to take the training when it opened there. So when I saw this job, I said to myself ‘OK, you have to really start studying, very intense. Studying, studying, studying.’ This was the place that I wanted to be – this was a shortcut to my dreams. I was up all night before the interview, reading and reading, because I had no idea what they were going to ask me. I had my interview at 11am with [Head Sommelier] Federico, and I had to take a train from Cheltenham at 7am. But because I’d been up studying all night, I overslept and missed it. So I took a cab all the way here. It dropped me outside the Club at 10.57, and cost £230. The funny thing was, Fede, Elton and Giacomo didn’t ask me too many difficult questions about wine. They were more interested in seeing how I was as a person. Anyhow, I got the job.
I’m now studying for my WSET Diploma (level 4). My palate has changed a lot. These days, I love Rieslings and lighter whites and reds. I remember one day, a very generous Member shared a taste of his 2009 Dr Bürklin Wolf, Pechstein Grosses Gewächs and I was like, wow, what is this? Dry, but with a little bit of sweetness, layers of flavour, just unbelievable.
I’ve made some great discoveries that way. That’s the best thing about the job. We taste some incredible wines. Right now, I’m loving white Burgundy – like everybody else in the Club. But I love discovering unusual things too. All the somms take it in turns to run tastings for the team, focusing on one style of wine. So Giacomo did a session on Moldova, Bulgaria and Eastern Europe. Dolly did one on Austria, Kirsty did one on English sparkling wine, Suzi on Sherry. I did a session on Indian wine – I was lucky that Rajeev Samant, the owner of India’s top winery, Sula, is a member of the club and he very kindly sent 10 bottles for us to taste. I brought some Indian food, too, to complement them.
I love the energy of everybody here – the somms for sure, but the Members are just as passionate, sharing their knowledge and their wines. I always knew this was the place I needed to be, and now I see it every day.
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WHAT
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Olivier Humbrecht MW, Zind Humbrecht
ON
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Bonnie Yap in South Africa
TWO
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