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Humans of Applejack: Group Sommelier Amandine Rouviere

We sat down for a chat with Applejack Hospitality’s New Group Sommelier, Amandine Rouviere.

We are so excited to introduce Amandine to you. With a wealth of experience both here and abroad, she is set to take Applejack’s wine game to the next level.

Amandine will be working across all Applejack venues, from curating wine lists, to wine training and partnerships, she will be overseeing all things wine here at Applejack.

Keep reading to discover more about her experience, how she came to work with Applejack, her favourite winery, and who inspires her.

Let’s Chat…

Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your experience in hospitality?

I grew up in the countryside surrounded by wineries. My dad worked in one of the small wineries there and used to take me around. I had my first job in a restaurant at 16 to make some extra money during the school holidays, here I fell in love with the hospitality world, and left my little village to study hospitality and pursue Sommelier courses. I then worked in Michelin star restaurants in France and London.

After 2 years at Le Gavroche in London, I moved to Sydney and worked at Merivale for 6 years. While in Sydney I worked my way up as Head Sommelier at Bert’s and looked after the wine program for The Newport.

What will your role be as Group Sommelier at Applejack?

I will be growing the wine program across the group working closely with Group Bars Manager Lachy. Our goal is to bring Applejack’s wine lists to the next level and to train our teams to have a better understanding of our wine selection.

What do you love about working in hospitality?

I love the personal contact with our guests when they are dining and sharing my passion for both wine & food.

Why Applejack? And what are you most excited to work on?

I was introduced to Applejack by a friend of mine. I love the culture and how everyone works together as a team. I am excited to work on all the venues, they all have very unique styles and it will a great challenge for me to bring a wine culture across all different levels.

My first priority will be working on Bopp & Tone, but I am most excited about building a team of wine enthusiasts across the group.

Do you have a favourite winery?

It is very hard to pick… I have tried so many different wineries over the years but I think my favourite winery will be Maxime Magnon from the Corbiere in the Languedoc. I was lucky enough to do a vintage with them so it really is a special winery for me.

Who inspires you?

I feel like a lot of people who I have crossed paths with in my life inspired me, but I have three people that come to mind first. Firstly, my head Sommelier back in London, David Galettit. He really opened my eyes to wines outside of France and I loved his patience and leadership.

Secondly, is Franck Moreau who I worked for the past 6 years in Merivale. He has so much knowledge and is the most humble person. I consider him “The Father of the sommelier” in Sydney and I have a lot of respect for him.

Lastly, (best for the last) Andres Aragon, who was my head Sommelier at Bert’s when I started. He has the biggest heart, he is the most dedicated and passionate person I have worked with. He is an amazing leader and he really helped me to grow my management skills.

We are looking forward to taking Applejack’s wine culture to the next level with Amandine on board. I’m sure you will be seeing a lot more of her in the coming months, with new wine lists, group wine training and so much more.