Hong Kong

Harnil Mathur

Harnil is an Indian Sommelier, currently based in Hong Kong. He grew up in Gujarat - a state in which alcohol is prohibited, meaning that it did not feature prominently in his upbringing. In his own words: “As alcohol is considered taboo in much of India, pursuing a career in the wine industry has proved a challenge that I am eager to overcome.” Harnil’s first true exposure to wine came in 2015, when he started a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, graduating 3 years later. This exposure inspired him, and he “decided to dive in head first and enrolled at the Court of Master Sommeliers”, passing both the Introductory and Certified exams on his first attempt in 2018 and becoming the youngest candidate to pass them in India up to that point, being only 20 years old at the time. Since then, Harnil has continued his meteoric progress in wine education with gusto: by the age of 24, he had progressed to the Advanced Sommelier Certification, becoming only one of 3 in India to achieve this. Since then, he has gained the WSG’s French Wine Scholar Diploma with the highest honours, and followed this up with his WSET Level 3, passed with Merit. He has competed in the 2019 Indian Sommelier Championship, being placed in the top 6, and then went on to attain Gold in the ASI Sommelier Diploma. Harnil is excited to continue his career progress, having just completed an MBA in Wine & Spirits Business at the Burgundy School of Business, and now beginning to prepare himself for the Master Sommelier Certification.