SOPHIENWALD: THE GLASS IS ALWAYS HALF FULL

Altitudes Global catches up with sommelier Olena Pavlenko to learn more about Sophienwald glassware and her thriving My Cheers Club.

Altitudes: Dear Olena, tell us about your link to Sophienwald glassware.

Olena Pavlenko: As my agency in Kyiv handled the Sophienwald account, I became very passionate about the brand – so much so that I eventually became the CEO of Sophienwald Ukraine. Using the right glassware is essential and when I came to Dubai two years ago, I noticed that the glassware being used in hotels and restaurants was often bought on price and not quality. They were using machine-made glasses and those buying them couldn’t understand why they should pay for a high quality glass when they could buy a glass for two Euros.

Altitudes: High-end glassware is more than just style?

Olena Pavlenko: A glass can change the taste, the experience, the aroma. I visited several wine tasting communities here in the early days and I wanted them to try the Sophienwald experience instead of drinking from cheap glasses.

Altitudes: It was the same for the restaurant managers?

Olena Pavlenko: I knocked on many doors and every time I was faced with the F&B manager saying that they have to run it past their purchasing department and if the sommelier couldn’t prove why they needed expensive glasses, they weren’t going to buy.

Altitudes: But this led you to starting your own club?

Olena Pavlenko: After visiting many establishments, I started to think about finding people to drink wine with and just talk. I then found a lady who created events for Ukrainian and Russian speakers and I said as a sommelier, I can make a wine masterclass. I then hosted my first wine tasting and realised that people were genuinely interested in learning about wines from around the world. After hosting only three wine tastings, I was getting texts asking when the next one was going to be. This led to a Whatsapp group chat and then it grew into My Cheers Club. It was never my goal to have my own wine club as I’m the marketing director of Sophienwald, but I thought, why not?

Altitudes: How many people do you host?

Olena Pavlenko: I like to keep it intimate, as the club is as much about socialising as it is learning, so we are a maximum of 20 guests per wine tasting. But the club has over 200 people who have come twice, or more to the tastings.

Austrian quality: Sophienwald’s headquarters in Alt-Nagelberg is located on the former site of the Stölzle family glassworks, where world famous glass was produced from 1725 onwards.

Altitudes: What’s next for My Cheers Club?

Olena Pavlenko: The plan is now to start wine tours for My Cheers Club members and visit different countries for three to five days. I will support them as a sommelier while we go to wineries and estates while sharing gastronomic delights, as we supply more than 30 Michelin starred restaurants across the world.

Also, I would like to create a membership for guests who want to sample more expensive and complex wines once a month.  The next step after that will be for collectors, helping them to source wines for their cellars while hosting bottle openings.