{"id":1560362,"date":"2026-02-19T08:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T08:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.67pallmall.com\/?p=1560362"},"modified":"2026-02-23T03:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T03:23:22","slug":"meet-the-somm-shirley-tan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.67pallmall.com\/meet-the-somm-shirley-tan\/","title":{"rendered":"MEET THE SOMM | Shirley Tan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Appointed as Head Sommelier of our Singapore Club in October, Shirley recounts how she got where she is today \u2013 from growing up in a small town in Malaysia to night shifts on a hotel reception where she read wine books to stay awake\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was born in a small town in the south of Malaysia called Muar, and it wasn\u2019t until I went to university in Kuala Lumpur \u2013 to study International Hospitality Management \u2013 that I first tasted wine. I always knew I wanted to be in hospitality. It\u2019s something that\u2019s in my heart. That, and the fact that I can’t sit still for long. But it wasn’t until my university days that I began thinking about wine as a career. The only time when I was totally focused was the wine classes. I loved learning about the different grape varieties, their different DNA, how some have high tannins, some have low tannins, why some taste of red fruit and some taste of black fruit, and how they taste different according to where they\u2019re grown. It was all absolutely fascinating to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did an internship in Singapore for six months in a boutique hotel, on the F&B side \u2013 by then, I knew I wanted to work in beverage industry. But after university, I had to go back to Malaysia for a period of time, and not many of the restaurants there had a wine focus. Even if they did, they would have one experienced sommelier, who had to be very knowledgeable \u2013 there were no junior sommelier positions. So I found a job in a hotel as a receptionist, and when I worked the night shift, I would read a wine book to make sure I stayed awake, and to keep learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In The Macallan Bar at the Galaxy complex in Macau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I kept looking around for junior positions in restaurants. Then I saw that one of my former classmates was working in Macau \u2013 and almost every day, it looked like he was tasting wine. When I got a job offer there, I couldn\u2019t hand in my resignation quick enough, and in 2016 I moved to work for the Galaxy Entertainment Group, which is a huge complex with eight hotels, thousands of rooms and dozens of restaurants. I started in The Macallan Whisky Bar, which had about 400 different labels of whisky. Whisky became very interesting to me, learning about the different expressions, but I couldn\u2019t help noticing that in the Italian restaurant next door, Terrazza, there was a big wine cellar. After a year, I managed to get transferred and started learning a lot more about wines from different regions. Then I worked in the Chinese restaurant Pak Loh, which focused on Teochew cuisine and had high demand for Bordeaux wine, and finally the Michelin-starred 8\u00bd Otto e Mezzo Bombana, which had a lot of top-end wines and older vintages.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was learning so much, but I knew I needed to move in order to progress and learn more. That\u2019s when I saw the opportunity at 67 Pall Mall, which was preparing to open in Singapore. I had several Zoom interviews with Ronan [Sayburn, former Head of Wine] and Roberto [Duran, former Head Sommelier in Singapore], though, looking back, I can’t remember much about what they asked me. All I remember is that I found it difficult to understand them \u2013 but they were very patient. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, I got the job, and I was just in time. The pandemic had started, and during lockdown, once you entered Macau, you couldn\u2019t leave. If you left, you couldn’t get back in. I landed in Singapore, and had to quarantine in a hotel for 24 hours. When I woke up the next morning, I saw that Hong Kong had grounded all flights in or out. I was very lucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was part of the pre-opening team for the Club, and I couldn\u2019t believe how big the list was. It kept getting bigger, too. Every day, I would spend an hour or two just scrolling through it to learn the new wines. We would be filling up the wine tower and there were so many labels that I\u2019d never seen before. To be honest, I felt very insecure to begin with. The other challenge was that, even when we opened, there were some restrictions still in place from the pandemic, and we could only serve between certain hours, turning around service really quickly but with no barbacks, so when we weren\u2019t dashing to the wine tower to collect wines, we were constantly polishing glasses. It was very challenging for four months, but we made it happen. And that kind of moment brings you all together, and is something you never forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learned so much since, about so many different wines from different region. As for my personal tastes, I love bubbles from different parts of the world \u2013 grower Champagne, Franciacorta, even Sekt and New World fizz. I also have a real soft spot for Sicilian wines and aged Nebbiolo. And I really enjoy a nice, chilled whisky sour after a long shift. I love peaty whiskies, from Islay \u2013 Caol Ila and Lagavulin are my favourites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, the process of locating bottles in the wine tower is a touch smoother than in the opening days of the Club<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also very interested in gemstones. I started collecting them when I was in Macau, during the pandemic. I like to learn about where they come from, the different colours and their function, and how they relate to your chakra. I find them very healing. I have around 100 different stones now, and I make them into a bracelet to wear each day, according to what mood or emotion I feel or want to project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last October, I was made Head Sommelier. The announcement coincided with a trip to London for my first attempt at the MS Exam. I will re-sit the theory and tasting exams later this year in Hong Kong, so I\u2019m studying a lot right now. The experience is fascinating, although it\u2019s tough when you’re working long hours in an intense environment \u2013 no matter how tired, I will still have to wake up and study. I rarely get more than six hours a day of sleep right now. But I know it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember when I was younger, many of my friends thought it was strange that I wanted to become a sommelier \u2013 but they were so happy for me as my career progressed. When I become Head Sommelier at 67, one of them texted me and said, \u2018Wow, you really did it. I’m so proud of you. You fulfilled your dream.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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