Head Sommelier Hannah Gillies at the KOL

The World of Wine is beautifully showcased by an army of talented Sommeliers, who help the consumer discover their next favourite bottle, understand the different regions and pair a delicious meal with the right Glass of Bubbly.

In this feature, we speak with Hannah Gillies, the Head Sommelier at KOL in London, who is currently helping many wonderful people to discover the vast world of Champagne and Sparkling Wines. Let’s find out about her incredible life in the world of wine.

It’s Nice To Speak With You, Hannah. Can You Tell Us About Yourself & What Inspired You To Become a Sommelier?

“Sure! Becoming a somm is by far one of the best decisions I have made in terms of work satisfaction and I feel very lucky to be able to say I love my job. Growing up, I wanted to work in health care. At university, I worked in a larger chain of restaurants and ended up being pretty good at selling wine – all for the incentive bottle at the end of the week, of course!

Following that, I worked for a family run wine merchant for 6 years, eventually running their store in Chichester, right in the heart of prime English sparkling wine vineyards.

During that time, I knew I wanted to go back to working in restaurants; I loved the organised chaos. Retail gave me an amazing grounding for my knowledge, and I furthered that by studying for CMS in my spare time.

During lockdown, I had that moment of reflection, I think a lot of people had – I moved to London to finally work as a somm and landed myself a pretty amazing spot here at KOL.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine?

“My very first experience is probably sparkling wine from Australia, where I grew up, topped up with orange juice at the age of 10. You might not want to publish that part!

The first experience where I really noticed the quality of sparkling wine was probably when I turned 23, trying vintage Champagne to celebrate my birthday – I recall finally being able to appreciate what it was all about!”

What’s The Most Surprising & Interesting Thing You’ve Learned About Wine?

“For me, the most interesting thing about wine is the history that surrounds it, understanding just how far back wine making goes. The most widespread theory is that it started in the regions around Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia around 8,000 years ago, something people are often not aware of.”

What Can Sparkling Wine Enthusiasts Expect To Discover On The Wine List At The One Michelin Star Restaurant, ‘KOL’?

“Plenty of smaller grower producers with quite the focus on Champagne.

We love interesting sparkling from other regions in Central and Eastern Europe too, like old vintage Riesling Sekt from Germany and even sparkling from the Czech Republic.”

How Much Did The Mexican-British Cuisine & Culture Of The Restaurant Influence The Sparkling Wines Chosen For The Wine List?

“With the absence of things like lime and ripe tropical ingredients, we use alternatives grown here in the UK, with an allowance for dried chillies and corn, which add their own dynamic to each plate. We have learnt over the years that fresh, salty and aromatic wines work incredibly well with Santiago’s food, so having a broad selection of sparkling wines with so much variety makes perfect sense, particularly those which utilise more aromatic varieties from cooler climates.”

What Sparkling Wine Producing Countries or Regions Hold A Special Place In Your Heart?

“Can I be really stereotypical and say Champagne? The region has such a long history and tradition, and the winemaking method has been perfected. We’re now seeing that methodology tweaked by creative grower producers to show just how interesting these wines can be.”

Asked on Behalf of Champagne Collectors – What’s The Oldest Vintage Champagne You’ve Tasted?

“70s Moet – I can’t recall the disgorgement date, but we deduced the decade from the old label. I remember thinking butter, baked lemon and honey. So much honey! Memorable.”

 

Photographer credit belongs to Eleonora Boscarelli, Copyright belongs to KOL, Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use the image.