Uncorked: Sebastien Allano

Starting his wine education at the hotel and restaurant school in France, Lycee Chaptal de Quimper at the tender rage of 14, Sebastien Allano went on to complete his MS qualification which led him to do a stint at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Returning to France, Allano then worked at the Four Seasons Hotel Paris George V under the tutelage of sommeliers Eric Beaumard, Thierry Hamon and Enrico Bernardo. His career then took him to New York where he worked as chef de rang and assistant chef sommelier at Daniel’s Boulud’s eponymous restaurant and Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin. Allano then moved to Hong Kong in 2007 to join the two-Michelin starred Caprice Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel as head sommelier where he has been ever since. He speaks to dbHK about a beloved bottle of Madeira and enjoying an aperitif with his family dans le jardin.

What vintage are you?

1979, a difficult year for most of the vineyards but you can still find some great Champagne and amazing Cognac.

What bottle sparked your love of wine? 

A Madeira – Terrantez 1795 by Barbeito, drunk in such great company. Like many others, it has an amazing history and made me realize at an early age that wine is not a product but definitely a culture that can tell history.

Even when you are drinking a young vintage, the story of the winery and the terroir will give you larger knowledge than about only the wine.

What would you be as a wine?   

Any Chenin Blanc the Loire Valley. I know that the winemakers around will take a good care of me, not forcing nature to get what they (the winemakers) want but letting me grow by listening my environment and accompany me along the way to get may be not the best each year but at least a representative wine of a journey.

Where are you happiest?

Beside the vineyard chatting with winemakers and the restaurant chatting with customers, it could also be in my garden surrounded by my family and friends, having an aperitif. I love doing this on holiday.

Best advice you ever got?

From one of my teachers: ‘”Prevoir le pire c’est savoir naviguer” – basically preparing for the worst is knowing how to navigate.

Most overused word?

Two things come to mind.

First, “fruity” has a very different meaning from one person to the other and actually when you ask some of them what they mean by fruity, they won’t be able to describe if it is dry or rich so it often puts me in a difficult position.

Second, all the abbreviations to name a wine such as “La La La”, CDP, VCP – let’s give respect to these wines and use their long names even though I appreciate it is not always easy to pronounce.

What’s the best and worst thing about the wine business?

The best thing is wine, the worst is business!

Your cellar’s underwater, which bottle would you dive in and save?

Unfortunately if I have to dive I will be sinking and obviously my last sip will be salted water.

The funny part of this question is most of my wine cellar was stolen a month ago….

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

All the people I met along my career, all those wine lovers, from my teachers, Christian Stevanin, Gilles Marzin, to the amazing sommeliers, Eric Beaumard, Thierry Hamon, Enrico Bernardo, Michel Couvreux, and many others – they all teach me a lot and this kind of dinner will most probably end up in the morning after a decent number of bottles.

Anyone that’s given me useful advice throughout my life so I can thank them.

My Dad, I will always remember one line he would say: “As long as you are clean in your act, honest with yourself and others, you can interact with anyone in any circumstances, you will be at your place.”

Which wine would you like served at your funeral?

Any wine as long as they are having fun in the memories of the good time we had together. I hope they will actually empty my cellar!