Kevin Larvin interviews Emma Denney

1. What is the origin story. Did you have an epiphany moment that made you want hospitality as a career or something else?

I fell into hospitality when I was a teenager and even when I tried to leave in my early twenties, I was sucked right back in. There is something addictive about providing excellent service, creating special moments and experiences for your guests, and being able to bring together people over food and beverage. It also helps that most of the people you meet in hospitality are some of the most kind and generous people you will ever meet - pretty much all the most important people in my life I got to meet through working in restaurants. 

I ended up falling into the wine side of hospitality when I got a job at a local wine bar in New Zealand and I was hooked from the very first wine course they put me through. 

2. Did you choose wine or did wine choose you?

I like to think that wine chose me. Everything in my life just lined up in such a way that there was no way I couldn't not have a career in wine. Wine has given me some of the most magical experiences and brought some amazing people into my life, I couldn't imagine a life without it. 

3. Tell us about your career, the early days through to now?

Always working in hospitality since my teenage years, I got job at a local wine bar when I was 19 and from there became very wine focused. I worked at a few different restaurants in New Zealand whilst doing my WSET courses, and when I decided to become a Sommelier, I moved across to London to be fully focused on my goal of one day becoming a Master Sommelier (working on it!) and of opening iconic bottles for guests. In London I have worked at LPM, and Michelin Starred Restaurants Davies and Brook at Claridge's, The Clove Club and Restaurant St Barts. Two years ago, I returned to Claridge's Hotel to open Claridge's Restaurant and have since worked my way up to Director of Wine of the hotel. I have been working my way through the Court of Master Sommelier exams and am currently on the waiting list to sit my Master Sommelier exam. 

4.What are you most proud of in your career?

There are many moments I am proud of, but I am probably most proud of what we achieved at Restaurant St Barts in such a short amount of time. It is such a beautiful restaurant with such a special feel to it, and owned by the loveliest people - Toby, Luke and Johnny. I am forever grateful for how they trusted me and our team to create their vision. In the first 6 months we achieved a Michelin Star and won the Best Short Wine List in the UK with the Star Wine List Awards, and then that list went on to win the international prize as well. It was the first time I was fully entrusted with creating a list from scratch and being able to fully put my stamp on a place, and whilst it was a lot of hard work, I am so grateful for that period of my life. 

Achieving my Advanced Sommelier exam last year is definitely a close second - it took me longer than I had hoped, but it really showed me that if you do work hard and give it your all, then you can achieve anything you put your mind to. 

5. How can people find their way in luxury hospitality?

Always keep an open mind and always try to be learning from those around you. Getting your foot in the door might be the hardest part of getting into luxury hospitality, but show up, bring your best every time and don't be afraid to ask questions and you'll go far. Ensure that you also enjoy the service you are providing and seek out opportunities as much as you can to be on the receiving end of it, so you can really understand why what we do is so special. 

6. What is the most unique request you have had from a guest?

Pouring first growth Bordeaux's into tea pots for discreet drinking - not an uncommon one when working in Mayfair but still humours me thinking of the amount of Chateau Latour that has been drunk from teacups, rather than Zaltos. 

7. What is a myth about wine that people need to stop believing?

That all the rules need to be followed. If you enjoy drinking a certain wine in a certain way, then do it. Wine is supposed to be enjoyed, so enjoy it how you like. Of course, there are ideal ways of serving, ideal food and wine pairings, ideal amounts of time to let certain wines age - but at the end of the day, it's about how you enjoy it the most. 

8. If you could share a glass of wine with anyone in the world, past or present – who would it be with and what would you drink, and why?

Theres not one person, but rather my incredible group of Sommelier friends that I have gathered over my past 8 years in London, who are some of the closest people in my life. No one else I would rather share a bottle with. The bottle would absolutely have to be a bottle of Bordeaux - probably a bottle of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 1993. My vintage, although not an iconic one, and from one of my personal favourite Bordeaux estates. A kind guest graciously shared a glass with me when I was at Davies and Brook, and it's a wine I have never forgotten about. I enjoy forcing my love of Bordeaux on my Sommelier friends, who would all definitely have chosen something else and even if they might think it's boring, you can't deny that when old Bordeaux is good, it just is magical. 

9. What advice do you have for those looking to enter the hospitality industry

Ask questions, be curious, travel and try new things as much as you can. It is such a fulfilling and rewarding industry if you work hard but also keep in mind that networking is so important. I truly believe that hospitality is an industry that at its very core is built off human connection, and the connections I have made have helped me to progress in both my professional and personal life. Most of the opportunities that come my way have come from my network and the connections I have created. 

10. What would your older self thank you for doing now?

Never giving up when it was hard and lonely, and trusting that the right opportunities and right people would show up eventually. And they did. Trust the process, enjoy the wine and don't ever give up. The hospitality industry can really give you back so much if you let it.