India has broken new ground with the achievement of its first Master Sommelier, Kamal Malik, a distinguished professional in the hospitality industry. In August 2024, the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) announced six new Master Sommeliers, including Kamal Malik alongside Paul Fauvel, Paul Robineau, Andres Aragón Pérez, Bertrand Lutaud, and Kevin Lu Kai Wen. For those unfamiliar, the Master Sommelier (MS) Diploma is the pinnacle of wine and spirit service qualifications, with only 281 individuals having earned this prestigious title since its inception in 1969.
Small beginnings, Big goals
For a village boy from Uttar Pradesh who has worked his way up in the hospitality industry, Kamal’s accomplishment is no less than a sportsman from humble beginnings winning their country’s first Olympic gold medal. More importantly, Kamal’s success is sure to inspire many Indian sommeliers, proving that with dedication and perseverance, no goal is out of reach.
- In more than two decades of his illustrious career, Kamal has donned the hats of a Bartender, Bar Manager, Head Sommelier, Restaurant Manager, and Beverage Manager while working for some of the finest hotels – Hilton, Taj, and Oberoi Group, before joining his current employer Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), Maldives.
- Kamal’s educational background includes a Diploma with Merit in Wines and Spirits through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and advanced certifications from both the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Sake Sommelier Association.
Our longstanding association
I have known Kamal for over a decade, beginning with our shared educational trip to Champagne after each of us won the Champagne scholarship in back-to-back years. After completing the scholarship program, we went our separate ways, exploring different wine regions in France. Our paths crossed again at the renowned Château de Beaucastel—Kamal was interning there, while I was touring the Rhône Valley on my way to Beaujolais to participate in the grape harvest.
Since then, we’ve remained close wine friends, reconnecting whenever possible despite being in different parts of the world. I clearly recall one such occasion at a restaurant when Kamal received the exciting news that he had passed the WSET Diploma exam. To celebrate, he immediately bought a bottle of a delightful “Ramon Roqueta Macabeo-Chardonnay” from the restaurant menu.
Outstanding achievement that could inspire many
Hearing the news of Kamal Malik’s success as India’s first-ever Master Sommelier brought me immense personal joy, as well as a sense of national pride. I quickly messaged him to offer my congratulations and to ask if he would be willing to share details of his challenging journey for the benefit of other aspiring sommeliers. As anticipated, Kamal graciously agreed.
Interview with Kamal Malik, MS
At what point of time in your career did you decide to work towards being a Master Sommelier?
In 2003, I first heard the terms “Sommelier” and “Master Sommelier” from my boss, Vikramaditya Singh, who had just returned from the USA to take up the role of Director of F&B at Hotel Udaivilas in Udaipur. At that time, pursuing the MS qualification was not an option, as the Court of Master Sommeliers’ programs were unavailable in our region. The opportunity finally arose in 2011, when the first Certified Sommelier course in Asia was offered in Hong Kong—a course I attended and passed.
Did you clear the MS exam on your first attempt? If not, how many attempts did it take?
This was my fifth attempt overall. My journey began unexpectedly in 2018 when I was offered a seat after someone dropped out at the last minute. In 2019, my performance was disappointing, and then the devastating Covid era hit, causing me to nearly abandon my pursuit. However, my wife encouraged me to try again in 2022, and that’s when I successfully passed the tasting and practical exams. It took two more attempts to pass the theory, all within the three-year timeframe required to complete all three sections after passing the first one.
About the Master Sommelier Examination
The Master Sommelier examination tests a candidate on three sections- Theoretical Knowledge, Practical Tasting, and Practical Service. These are followed by a round of Oral Questioning.
What was your preparation routine for the MS Exam? How did you manage the schedule alongside your job?
The preparation is tough to manage alongside a full-time job since you need to read a lot, practice blind tasting, etc. Courtesy of the type of appointments I held, tasting was not as much of a challenge as studying theory was. It takes time to build up the memory that enables you to answer the toughest wine questions within a 45-second timeframe. I would average about an hour of study a day on busy days, two hours on weekend days, and then a lot more during holidays. To succeed, you need to keep chipping at it every day.
Can you share some of your highs and lows of the MS exam preparation?
Speaking of highs, the learning curve all along the preparation was my best gain. Also, since I enjoy wines, the tasting was always fun.
Coming to the lows, Covid was the biggest dampener and I almost gave up on the dream. Apart from the challenges of keeping the job, there was no time to study plus no chance to travel for the exams.
As mentioned earlier, the theory section was more challenging for me. Last year, despite putting in 10 hours daily for 40 days before the exam, it was disheartening to not get past the line. This year I studied dedicatedly for 2 months and was elated to clear the exam.
For aspiring wine professionals, what qualification path would you recommend- WSET courses en route to the Master of Wine qualification or CMS courses with the ultimate aim of becoming a Master Sommelier?
Both WSET and CMS courses have their own USPs but for hospitality professionals, I would recommend the CMS curriculum as they test you not only on the knowledge of wines but also other functional aspects like service, wine lists, attitude, business acumen, etc. All these aspects are necessary to succeed in the hospitality scenario.
What would be your advice to people aspiring to be MS?
First and foremost, I would like to say that if coming from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, I can crack the MS exam, anybody can.
Next, preparing for MS is like a marathon and not a sprint. One must continue working towards gaining knowledge and not take any setbacks as a failure but rather as learning.
Becoming a Master Sommelier is a significant milestone, but it’s not the final destination. One must continuously hone their skills and work even harder to maintain the high standards set by the Court of Master Sommeliers. With great achievements come greater responsibilities, and if you truly enjoy what you do, you’ll naturally add value through your work—often without even realizing it.
Have your professional responsibilities changed at your workplace post the MS qualification? If so how?
Since it is barely two weeks since the announcement of the results, not much has changed in the workplace. However, everyone seems to be excited and we collectively look forward to many exciting possibilities in store.
How did you celebrate this achievement with your family?
It’s only just starting to sink in, so I haven’t had any big celebrations yet. Now that the MS exams are behind me, I’m enjoying some downtime, taking long walks with my wife every day. We plan to celebrate soon during my son’s school holidays, when we hope to travel and explore some new places.
