Minyoung Ryu
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Born in South Korea, sommelier Minyoung Ryu worked in fine dining establishments around the world before coming on board at Bali’s Potato Head luxury resort in 2023 to set up a natural wine bar and restaurant, Dome. It is a world away from the more traditional establishments she had spent her career in previously, and she has relished the challenge of bringing an outsider’s perspective to pairing wines with Indonesian flavours. 

‘My parents are very open minded, and gave me the freedom to make decisions by myself. In South Korea most people go to university after high school, but as I didn’t know what I wanted to study, I felt that university would be a waste of money. But not going to university is seen as a failure in our culture. I was sick of people sharing their opinions on my life, so one night I packed my bags – in the middle of the night – and left.

‘I remembered a peaceful place I had seen on a documentary, in a quiet mountain area. I travelled there and found a guesthouse. I didn’t realise at first, but it turned out to be a volunteer project, with a lot of European visitors. We shared meals and sometimes people would bring wine. One person had brought homemade wine from their grandparents. It was the first time I felt truly curious about wine, not just as a drink, but as a story, like history for me, as culture, as a connection.

‘Later, I returned home for Christmas and went to buy a cake at a big market. I happened to stop by the wine section, and someone recommended a wine to pair with the cake. It was Moscato d’Asti, a dessert wine, and something I’d never tasted before. I’d always thought wine was dry and bitter, but this was sweet, aromatic, and completely unexpected. It was a small moment, but it really changed my perspective. That experience made me start thinking seriously about wine as a possible career path.

‘Korea had introduced Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses a few years previously and, with the encouragement of my mother, I gained my Levels 1 and 2. My instructor then told me that Koreans were able to spend six months in the UK without a visa, so I decided to travel there to study for my Level 3. Before London, I volunteered at Brühler Hof, a small, family-run, organic winery in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. It was my first real experience in wine and agriculture, and it had a big impact on me.

‘In London, I worked as a helper at the Decanter World Wine Awards judging week. I found it inspirational. I watched the judges and I thought, “I want to be able to do that”.

I got my first job as a junior sommelier in London, and after the UK I went to work in Australia, in Margaret River and in a restaurant in Melbourne, followed by a restaurant in Hong Kong – where I was the only non-French employee. It was very fun; I ate a lot of cheese! In Hong Kong I worked with a number of different restaurants and cuisines – Middle Eastern, Southern Italian, French and Chilean. During the pandemic I worked on a new opening in the Maldives, as well as at Raffles where I learned about the operational side of restaurants.

‘All of these experiences expanded my understanding of how to pair wine with a wide range of flavours and cultural influences. I thought about taking a break, but I was contacted about the role at Potato Head! It was a role where I could have a lot of creativity and freedom. I look after the wine menus for all the venues within the resort – each restaurant is different and has a list that reflects that, and the lists get a refresh every six months.

‘Whenever I come to a country, I think it is important to understand the nation, the people, what is eaten, enjoyed – the flavours. I often speak with my junior, who is from Bali, about flavours and spices. As a Korean I am used to spices used in fermentation, whereas Balinese spices are fresh, so can be paired with wines that are juicier and fruitier – with Primitivo, for instance, which is one of the easiest pairings, and a wine that international guests are familiar with. There are also a lot of smoky flavours in Indonesian cuisine, as ingredients are cooked over charcoal, so that is another element to think about.

‘We do have an Indonesian wine on the list. I was doubtful, but when I tasted it, I thought “Woah! It really tastes of Bali: galangal ginger, some spices, ylang ylang fruits, floral characters, and a touch of orange citrus. But also, a minerality and straightforwardness. I believe, because the Bali soil is very volcanic, it is driving these flavours into the glass. I knew that the wine would pair easily with the cuisine. It’s made from the Moscato grape, naturally fermented, unfiltered and with no added preservatives, the maker’s approach to winemaking very much part of the story of the wine.

‘My focus nowadays is on engaging with guests. I see my job as a curator, which includes sharing stories of how winemakers produce their wines. It’s about choosing wines that make sense for guests, and communicating about those wines. It is about taking into account what guests feel comfortable and familiar with, while reflecting the dishes and bringing out the Indonesian and Bali flavours. It’s a balancing act, but one that I love.’

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