Why Louise Gordon of Hand Picked Hotels is looking for the next generation of sommeliers

The head of wine at Hand Picked Hotels talks to Emma Lake about championing small producers and why passion can trump experience

How did you get into the wine industry?

I like to very glamorously say that I started my career in France, which is technically true, but it was in a cash and carry. When I started a gap year my cousin suggested I come to Calais and work in one of the wine showrooms. I just really got into wine and so I did the introduction and intermediate qualifications with the Wine & Spirit Educational Trust as it was then.

How did you then transition into hospitality?

I ended up at the wine shop in Harvey Nichols and I was chatting to the head sommelier there and said I wanted to be a sommelier, and he offered me that opportunity.

You went on to some high-profile positions at hotels such as Heckfield Place and the Newt. Have you developed your own style?

I like to have a very balanced list. I don’t go for the Old World, heavy wines, I like interesting grape varieties from traditional regions and the smaller producers. I suppose I like eclectic wine lists.

You’ve won lots of awards including Condé Nast Johansens’ Best Overall Wine List of the Year and Most Innovative List. How much does that mean to you?

I've never really gone out for it. I've entered competitions but I’ve never written a list thinking this will be award-winning.

You’ve now been appointed Hand Picked Hotels’ first head of wine. Why did the role appeal to you?

Hand Picked Hotels is on a journey to enhance the collection and for me that’s an opportunity to take hold of everything, from training and development to organising wine dinners and building a wine culture within the hotels, as well as writing the individual lists.

We’ll be approaching this in stages. Early this year we’ll be overhauling the list as it is, and then we’ll be getting all the training in place to start increasing everyone’s basic knowledge. Then, when I roll out the individual lists for each property, everybody will be able to keep up on the education and training side.

How do you train team members to talk confidently about wine?

A lot of it is about storytelling. In a lot of cases, your guests don’t need to or particularly want to know about lactic fermentation or ageing, they want a story about the wine.

One hotel is offering a wine pairing with a tasting menu, so I’ve started writing short stories about the wines that can be relayed to guests. Once the waiting staff start learning those, they become a lot more confident. It’s impressing on the team that they don’t need to be an expert, it’s about knowing your product.

Is there anything you’d like to add to the lists at Hand Picked Hotels?

I really like to champion smaller regions. For example, I love red Bandol from Provence and it’s something you really never see. I’d also like to focus on weird and wonderful larger formats, such as magnums, but each list will evolve with the hotels and the food offering.

How is recruitment looking post-Brexit and Covid?

It’s been incredibly difficult. We really need to breed a new generation of sommeliers. We want people who have passion and who want to learn and to not scare them off from the industry. When I was in my early twenties we worked 70-80 hours a week, but we just did it, we didn’t even blink. It is something the industry is addressing, and it will need to happen everywhere.

What would you say to a young person wondering how to get into the wine industry?

I'd say just go for it. Ask for the relevant training. If the company you’re working for doesn’t want you to develop, you’re probably working for the wrong company. I’ve always employed for passion, rather than existing knowledge, as it’s about having the passion and personality and the need to learn and develop – that’s more important than knowledge.

How do you continue to build your knowledge and expertise?

Post-Covid, there’s far less travel but I always study producers and wines before I list them and just keep learning. I did start working towards becoming a Master of Wine, but found that I can’t do that while working full-time in hospitality. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the right time for me.