You might not know exactly what a head sommelier at a restaurant does so we’re going to put it simply for you. The wine that you drink at an establishment — be it whether it’s so delicious that you want to smash three in a row or awful that you’d pass it on to someone at the table you detest — is a product that has gone through quality testing and control by them.
Perhaps, Marcus Chen, the head sommelier at Lucali BYGB (also, Singapore’s youngest sommelier!) can explain it better. Say hi to him if you ever dine there and need help with your vino, he’s incredibly friendly.
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Firstly, we have to ask for those not-in-the-know, what the heck is a wine sommelier?
Marcus Chen: That is an interesting question. I guess the technical definition would be something along the lines of someone in a restaurant or beverage setting that knows a particularly larger amount of knowledge about wine like its history, provenance and flavour. But to us, we think of it as the one who is ultimately responsible with bringing people together over good booze.
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How does one become a head sommelier then — like Drake’s Started From the Bottom Now We’re Here…
Marcus Chen: When I studied hospitality in Switzerland, it sparked a tiny amount of interest in me but it wasn’t until I was in Dubai and started as a restaurant apprentice that I knew I was extraordinarily curious. Interestingly enough, our founder Gibran Baydoun and I first met four years ago in Dubai on that very same project and he really encouraged me to grow. I started studying and almost accidentally ended up taking that wine program.
I received a tremendous offer to be the assistant sommelier at Jaan in Singapore and jumped at the opportunity to be closer to home. Even though I may be a head sommelier now, I still consider myself to be a constant student.
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Being Singapore’s youngest sommelier has to feel pretty damn good? What do you think of this accolade? Is age considered a non-barrier of entry in your line of work?
Marcus Chen: Well I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that those who have been drinking wine for dozens of years may have a simple palette advantage by simply having just been in the word longer than I have and there is this skepticism I receive and actually expect from being my age. However, that is just what makes me hungrier or should I say, thirstier to take on as much as I can and learn as much as possible as Singapore’s youngest sommelier.
There is no barrier and in fact, I feel my youth gives me the flexibility to get creative and break rules. Or maybe, make our own up every now and then. Wine can sometimes be presented in such a “precious” way and can be so intimidating to the guest, and so perhaps my youth gives me a bit of a fresh approach when it comes to being a tad disruptive.
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Some people like bottom shelf wine and some like their vintages, what would the perfect bottle be like for you?
Marcus Chen: The perfect bottle is the bottle you want to drink right now. I want to challenge this notion that a certain “brand” or “vintage” is the only thing one can drink. For too long, we have thought about wine and mystified this idea of prices, labels and region. I am more curious about bottles that tells me a story whether it’s about the producer, the grape or the place in its simplest and purest form. I also try to encourage my guests to think outside-the-box and I am really into Palomino right now, a native Spanish grape variety that is a still wine that comes from a fortified wine territory. It’s a great story. Delicious and properly smashable.
Muchada-Léclapart Univers is a collaboration between Alejandro Muchada and Champagne producer David Leclapart. This unfortified white wine from Sanlúcar (a sherry wine region) is made of 60-90 years old Palomino. The wine is elegant, fresh and salty with a lovely mineral intensity. Definitely a new flavour to discover.
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The natural wine list at Lucali BYGB is pretty extensive (tell us three of your favourites!) but some people might still think it’s pretty pretentious, how would you convince them either way?
Marcus Chen: To be honest, it all depends on the first bottle you ever tried. Natural wine — just like other wines — have such a huge variation. In fact, there are so many burgundy producers who have been making wine “naturally” for generations and don’t even talk about it. But, a guest wouldn’t call it “wanky” or “funky” at all so it’s all about a conversation. Some of the producers we like don’t even shout that they’re natural or biodynamic. They just do what they like and what they feel is honest, and the result is good juice.
Chateau Lestignac Hors Les Murs Blizzard: A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from Bergerac, France. An almost Burgundy style in taste, super juicy and mineral.
L’Octavin Cariboom: Gem from the Arbois region of the Jura. A wine that demonstrates complexity and drinkability at the same time.
Broc Cellars Valdiguie Solano: This style of wine is formerly known as the Napa Gamay, the taste is reminiscent of Beaujolais’s Gamay.
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How do you curate the wine list — is it curated based on the food menu or other factors?
Marcus Chen: Our collection is done in a few ways. On one hand, we want to highlight unique or under-the-radar gems or cult producers and then present them alongside producers and regions that people may be familiar with. We want every bottle to tell the guest a story. We present our list not as an actual list, but as a refrigerated display of wines that is organised by price instead of regions or varietals.
We feel this presents an honest opportunity to find the right bottle, or three. We also have, on one hand, selected booze that we know will play well with the the best pizza and heartiest salads in Singapore while also making sure a guest can have a selection that they can take on a journey. Or, find that one producer to settle in and smash its bottles.
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Is there a wine at Lucali BYGB then that is an all-crowd pleaser?
Marcus Chen: Once upon a time, I would have said that it couldn’t be done. But then, we met Nic Peterkin, the winemaker of L.A.S. Vino. We have worked together in tandem to produce three wines that just smash. It’s the L.A.S. Vino x Lucali BYGB Red, a 100% malbec from Margaret River that is in the words of our patron saint Tina Turner, “simply the best”.
Once you’re done with this story about Marcus Chen, Singapore’s youngest sommelier and the head sommelier of Lucali BYGB, book a table here or click here to catch up with our June/July 2021 issue!
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