Passion Meets Profession
Meet Our Sommeliers
The Club’s sommeliers are united in their passion for wine, yet are as diverse as any group of professionals could be. They’re homegrown or hail from foreign shores, are Club veterans or come from fine outside restaurants and bars, are self-taught over decades or hold a raft of certifications under their belts.
Wherever their source of inspiration, they’re all endless wine explorers, eager to share the latest finds, classic pours and wine backstories with Member guests. Get to know these ultimate wine aficionados, who are ready to reveal new worlds of wine with every seat you take at their tables.
Our Sommeliers
Head of Wine
Sébastien Chevalier
Sébastien’s wine career is studded
with stars – Michelin Stars, that is -- from l’Ambroisie in Paris to Foliage in London, Amber in
Hong Kong and Le Comptoir’s fine dining restaurant at Repulse Bay. From these and other top-tier
establishments and groups along the way, he arrived as HKJC’s Head of Wine in 2019 to oversee all
the dynamic wine programmes across the Club. Despite his breadth of knowledge, he says it still all
comes down to the palate. “Each wine has its own distinct personality and story, just as each person
has their own unique palate, made up of personal preferences, sensations and memories. That’s what
makes drinking wine so endlessly fascinating!”
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Head Sommelier
Andrés Torres
Head Sommelier Andrés Torres
holds a dizzying array of certifications in the wine world, from French, Italian, South African and
Portuguese categories and more, to sake and his favourite Champagne and sherry -- along with his
serious love for Chinese teas. Perhaps his passion is not surprising as this Argentinian grew up
surrounded by wine culture – “It’s our national drink!” he says. He happily invites travellers along
on his lifelong wine journey, revealing to them his new discoveries, favourite finds and whichever
bottle that is sure to make them smile.
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Assistant Head Sommelier
Simon Lo
A good bottle of Australian Shiraz
was all it took to ignite Simon’s fascination with wine. Since then he’s developed a special
knowledge and love for Spanish wines and German Rieslings, but his mantra and advice to all guests
is “be open-minded.” In his role as Assistant Head Sommelier, he continues to feed his wine passion
and curiosity, believing that wine is a lifelong pleasure filled with infinite new discoveries. His
next dream step on his wine journey is to work a whole season in a winery to experience the entire
wine-making process and see firsthand the effect of terroir.
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Assistant Restaurant Manager
Kenneth Ip
Kenneth is an intuitive wine lover,
believing every glass tells you all you need to know about the wine through sight, smell and taste.
In his role as Assistant Restaurant Manager, he also tries to match the wine to the person, not
necessarily the food, be it an out-of-the-box selection, quality for money or a big wine sure to
impress. His favourites are organic and biodynamic wines that truly capture the full essence of the
terroir.
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Captain
Kevin Lee
The land Down Under ignited Kevin’s
fascination with wine. As a restaurant server in Australia he started trying wines by the glass --
each new sip was like turning the page in a book he couldn’t put down, with infinite chapters yet to
open. Though most Members have tried the great wines, in his role as Captain he loves to introduce
new vintages to surprise them. His personal favourite is still a crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc
that takes him back to sunny days in Oz, under a shade tree with glass in hand – “What more could
you ask for?”
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Sommelier
Senki Ma
Senki knows his way around the sommelier world, having held the position at Hong Kong’s Arcane,
Épure, The Press Room, The Principal and other acclaimed establishments, before taking up the same
role at Happy Valley Clubhouse. He feels perhaps his greatest learning experience has been at the
Club, with wine expert Members always expanding his perspective as much as he does theirs. His
passion is the same today as it was at his first meaningful wine experience when a host served a
bottle of Brunello de Montalcino – “It was unforgettable!” he says. The memory inspires him still.
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Assistant Sommelier (Derby Restaurant)
Mark Tsui
Professionally certified in wine and sake, Mark was a Hyatt and Upper House alumnus before commencing his career in wine at renowned French restaurant Bâtard and retail arm The Fine Wine Experience. His favourite wine region Chablis is quite telling of his personality and professional pursuits: as much as he enjoys the vibrant freshness and honest transparency of the white wine and its terroir, it’s also a similar energetic quality he likes about being in the wine team at HKJC. Brimming with positive energy, his wine philosophy is that the journey starts before the bottle opens – that the proper care before uncorking are rituals best to be enjoyed.
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Wine Shop Manager
Maurice Low
For Maurice, whose passion is in sharing and talking about wines with others, his role as Wine Shop Manager at The Hilltop in The Valley couldn’t be more apt. With more than 14 years in the wine retail and private sale industry, this WSET Level 3 professional is equally certified across the wine, spirits and sake worlds, yet remains most enamoured with Burgundy Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs – two singled-out grape varietals that display such versatility in style, aroma and on the palate. As he always says to customers, “when you find a wine you love, always stock more bottles.”
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Wine Specialist
Miya Chong
One of Miya’s guiding philosophies is that passion will lead the way to excellence, as the polyglot demonstrates with her degree in Japanese studies, which ultimately led her work as a wine and sake merchandiser before becoming a wine specialist at The Crest. Wine pervades every moment of life for Miya (except for maybe breakfast, she quips), who has happily taken on the role of Aomori Sake Ambassador 2023-2024. While not sharing her love for sake, she enjoys indulging in a glass of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, which she claims is the best in the world.
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Wine Specialist
Sugar Cheung
Sugar’s previous experience working as a flight attendant gifted her the thirst for travel. As she travelled the world and tasted its gastronomic delights, she immersed herself in different cultures and discovered a love for wine as well. It may come as no surprise her favourite wine region is Burgundy, with its intersection of history, artistry and its captivating expression of terroir. As a wine specialist at The Hilltop in The Valley, Sugar stives to anticipate the needs of our Members with unparalleled attention to detail – always happy to convey and suggest incredible new recommendations. As she says, “you never try, you never know!”
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Restaurant Manager, Sha Tin Clubhouse
Tyler Ho
In 2021, Tyler moved from his
position as Assistant Sommelier at The Peninsula Hong Kong into the plum role of Restaurant Manager
at Sha Tin Clubhouse, responsible for the entire wine programme for six dining outlets. A dedicated
wine researcher, particularly of U.S. vintages, he says greater knowledge enhances the experience of
all wine lovers. Tyler believes that wine unlocks the doors to great relationships and he loves
creating joy for his guests through good food and good wine. His dream wine? Screaming Eagle 1997,
though Champagne is his favourite pour at home.
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Restaurants Manager, Beas River Country Club
Matthew Kam
Matthew’s CV pops with impressive
names – Nobu, Amber and Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence among them. He brings this
sophistication to his role as Restaurants Manager where he finds Members always willing to be
adventurous with new pours he can introduce. His own personal favourite wine is a good Burgundy – “a
joy from beginning to end.” Matthew’s beverage interests are wide-ranging; he’s hoping to take
whiskey and tea courses to add to the sake sommelier and barista certifications he already has under
his belt.
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Assistant Restaurant Manager, Sha Tin Clubhouse
Victor Tam
Victor is a Certified Sommelier and Sommelier of Sake who cut his teeth at some of the top dining establishments in Hong Kong, from Restaurant Petrus to 8 ½ Otto E Mezzo Bombana, Tin Lung Heen and more. A lover of learning as much as of oenology, Victor would spend hours tasting and studying about wine as a hobby while also completing his studies in hospitality and hotel management. To him, the art of appreciating wine is all about slowly savouring it: “Pay attention to the wine’s evolution – how the flavours develop and how its elements work in harmony to create a unique sensory experience.”
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Beverage Manager
Ken Chu
Wine is a total sensory experience
for Beverage Manager Ken Chu, with look and aroma as important as taste to any wine experience he
delivers. This well-rounded approach leads to fascinating conversations with his guests as he learns
their particular preferences and what will please them most. He has a breadth of knowledge to fall
back on, not only from his time at the Club since 2009, but gained from beverage management
positions at multiple Café Deco Group outlets and hotels in Hong Kong and Macau.
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Assistant Beverage Manager
Roy Chan
Members have seen Roy pouring many
different kinds of bottles at the Club since 2006, including as Assistant Beverage Manager since
early 2022. This wide exposure has fed his curiosity and open mind and he’s always drawn to rare and
unusual vintages. He’s fascinated how the marriage of man and nature makes each wine unique. Along
the way he’s found time to be a contender in the Great China Sommelier Competition four times and
hold a position as Vice President of the Hong Kong Bartenders Association. His key to success?
“Respect yourself, the work you do and your profession.”
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Assistant Restaurant Manager
Dextor To
The first time Dextor was presented
a wine list of more than 100 vintages, he was inspired to learn as much as he could. His interest
even expanded to other beverages, leading to his winning a slew of bartending competition awards in
tipples as diverse as Italian, Baijiu, Irish, Perrier and even Tea cocktails. As Assistant
Restaurant Manager, Racecourses, that first thrill of wine discovery has never left him and he has a
massive memory bank to guide guests on the perfect wine and food pairings.
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