Leading ladies: These women are shaping the world of wine in Singapore
These seven women in the wine industry share their vinous journey and insights into the Singapore wine market.
Besides the refined effervescence, the champagne houses of Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, and Laurent Perrier share another common trait: Women. These brands are household names because of the pioneering spirit of women leaders like Lily Bollinger, Madame Ponsardin Clicquot and Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt (of Laurent Perrier), who elevated the respective brand’s fortunes through grit, personality, and innovation.
You may not know it, but women have played important roles throughout wine history, and they continue to do so as sommeliers, authors, vineyard managers, directors, and head winemakers.
In Singapore, a growing number of women bring their knowledge and business acumen to roles once dominated by men. Here, they are educators, sommeliers, mentors, and wine merchants and are making their mark on our small island with their expertise. Granted, they are still a minority, but their ranks are decidedly on the rise.
From the vivacious Lesley Liu to the industry stalwart Susy Santoso and Master of Wine Annette Scarfe, we are spotlighting these seven talented women worth knowing.
SUSY SANTOSO
Director, Alfa International
Susy Santoso runs Alfa International, a wine distribution company that pioneered artisanal brands before they became famous. She is known throughout the industry for her sagesse and support towards an industry she’s been a part of for over two decades. But her road to success wasn’t without its challenges. “When my French husband and I parted ways more than a decade back, someone told me that no one would bet a dime that a local Asian lady will continue the running of Alfa wine business operations in Singapore,” she shared candidly. Her business acumen, acquired through business studies at Boston University and her traditional Indonesian Chinese upbringing, proved her superpower. Alfa has since gone from strength to strength with an enviable portfolio of clients.
In the inner circles, she is deferentially referred to as ‘lau ban niang’ (lady boss in Mandarin). In her words: “Being a woman in the wine industry can be a competitive edge relative to a man. When faced with a challenging situation, being a woman with good business acumen enables us to be sharper than a double-edged sword. We have to be sharp, and we do not give in easily. On the other side, we also bring empathy which is also a competitive advantage.”
LESLEY LIU
Head Sommelier, Odette
“Do you know where Gevrey-Chambertin is?” Occasionally, Lesley Liu’s clients at three-Michelin-starred Odette would put her through a pop quiz to gauge her credentials. Perhaps they are fooled by her diminutive stature (or gender), but this sommelier knows her craft inside out.
Born and raised in Taiwan, Lesley sought a job in an English-speaking nation to improve her language skills. “I applied to 100 jobs and Singapore was the first country to reply,” she recalled. She was snapped up by chef Julien Royer at Odette, where she rose to head sommelier in just five years.
On the floor and at various sommelier competitions (she recently won the Singapore’s Best Sommelier in French Sommelier 2023), she brings impeccable service ethics, and her engaging personality which has since become the Lesley Liu’s signature touch.
When asked if her ambition includes becoming a wine director, she lent it some thought and said: “Singapore is already quite a mature wine market. If we want to really become a wine director, I think one day it can happen.”
JESSICA ANNE TAN
Wine Communicator, Singapoured
When Jessica Anne Tan was five, she stole a few sips of a bubbly drink at a family dinner party. Her mum caught her inebriated and demanded to know what she drank. She recalled the four letters inscribed on the bottle: KRUG.
The wine bug struck (again) while she was pursuing her education in the States; this time, it became her career. Being in the male-dominated tech industry gave her a heart of steel, she said, and she adapted easily to the equally male-dominant wine industry. Tan is Singapore's first female Italian wine ambassador, meaning she’s the authority on Italian wines.
When not visiting Italian wine regions, she teaches the Italian Wine Scholar programme to sommeliers and wine lovers and works closely with the myriad wine regions to develop their marketing activities in southeast Asian markets.
On the evolution of women in wine, Tan reflected on the role of social media and its international reach. “I think more women have stepped up after seeing other women around the world share their professional achievements and certificates on social media.”
BONNIE YAP
Wine Development Manager, 67 Pall Mall
Bonnie Yap recently traded her Singapore Airlines wings for the swanky 67 Pall Mall wine club. Her journey in wine started decades ago when she faced a wall of indecipherable names in a wine shop in Barcelona during one of her layovers. She felt compelled to learn more and joined the air sommelier programme with the airline. At the penthouse club, Yap started as assistant head sommelier and has recently transitioned to a broader role of developing wine programmes for the club and its international venues.
On the floor and in the air, she has fielded her fair share of skeptical looks and called “Lady Sommelier”, but then, she has also won many of them over. Yap shared her experiences: “I could sense their doubts about my knowledge. But in the end, they enjoyed the wines I recommended, and many even requested my assistance during their subsequent visits.”
Yap has noticed a marked rise in consumer knowledge. She frequently meets clients who know as much about wine as the sommelier team, which she finds heartening. “The wine world has evolved, and the consumers are leading the trend, too. We are learning both ways.”
CELINE JUNG
Deputy Head Sommelier and Head of Membership at Park 90
When Celine Jung won Singapore National Sommelier competition in 2023, she gasped in disbelief. Not only did she beat other sommeliers to win the trophy, but she was also the first woman ever to claim the title.
Competitions have been an alternative form of education for this seasoned sommelier, who moved from Korea to Singapore five years ago to join Park 90. As deputy group sommelier, she leads a team of 15 sommeliers. Half her team is made up of women, a gender diversity, she said, “serves as strong encouragement for our female colleagues.”
Jung is also a mentor, encouraging young sommeliers who come into her orbit, affording them growth opportunities across Park 90’s two venues.
A French wine lover, she has noticed a newfound love for grower Champagne sweeping across the city as well as wine from emerging regions. “The evolving wine scene in Singapore reflects a growing sophistication and openness to experimentation among consumers.” For instance, she said, “The popularity of Hokkaido (Japan) wines on Park90's wine list serves as compelling evidence of this enthusiasm for exploring new regions and varieties.”
LINDA CHAN
CEO, Grand Vin
“In Singapore, we are raised as equals,” proclaimed Linda Chan during our conversation. Gender biases are clearly not part of Linda’s past or present as she leads Grand Vin, along with two other women partners. She acquired the company in a management takeover after the founder, Derek Lee, died. In the years that followed, Chan not only maintained her pole position as the purveyor of premium old-world labels from France and Italy but also grew the business, launched an online sales channel, and diversified into a wine bar.
“We have always been brand builders,” she said, speaking of Grand Vin’s success, but also points out that success in the wine business extends to the unglamorous jobs of inventory and shipment. “Whether our wines are sitting in a Petrus shipment or coming from entry-level wines from Cote du Rhone, they're all treated the same manner.”
Of the changing wine landscape, she said: “A decade ago, winemakers and wine directors and ambassadors coming to Singapore were predominantly men, but in current times, we find a lot of women winemakers and ambassadors, so we are on equal footing now.”
ANNETTE SCARFE
Master of Wine
Annette Scarfe developed her love for wine at university but went on to pursue a successful career in banking, which, she said, funded her wine life. She set up a small wine company and sold New Zealand wine to her industry colleagues.
“Every holiday was spent in a vineyard region. I had always said one day I would leave banking and follow my passion – when the timing was right, I did it!” she recalled.
And when she did, she took it all the way to the top and earned her Master of Wine qualification in 2012. Today, Scarfe is the only woman Master of Wine based in Singapore, a city she has called home for over 26 years.
She is a force to be reckoned with as a sought-after international wine judge, restaurant consultant, global chair of events at the Institute of Master of Wine, an educator and more. Over the years, Scarfe has kept close tabs on Singapore’s wine scene, training many sommeliers and conducting masterclasses for wine enthusiasts. The city’s vinous future is full of potential. She said: “The younger generation (in Singapore) are experimental and hungry to learn more. They love all the story telling associated with wine.”