How Saying Yes Built a Global Wine Career w/ Mia Martensson (Part 1)

Ep 162

What if the biggest opportunities in your life come from simply saying yes?

In this episode, I’m sitting down with sommelier Mia Martensson, whose impressive wine career has taken her from a teenager working in hospitality to Michelin-starred restaurants, South Africa's wine country, the world's largest privately owned mega yacht, and eventually to becoming the creative force behind the award-winning wine and beverage program at Seven Stars Resort in Turks & Caicos. What’s remarkable is that none of it was part of some carefully mapped-out plan. Instead, each chapter began with an opportunity she was willing to explore.

Mia shares how a mentor first introduced her to wine, how a chance opportunity led her to Michelin-starred restaurants in Stockholm, and why a short trip to South Africa turned into nearly a decade immersed in one of the world’s most exciting wine regions. Along the way, she tasted legendary wines, worked alongside some of the industry's most influential figures, and built a career that spanned continents.

We also dive into how tasting historic wines shaped her perspective, why she pursued WSET education, how wine education has evolved over the years, and the wine regions that continue to inspire her after decades in the industry.

If you’ve ever wondered where following your curiosity might lead or dreamed of building a career around your passion, this episode is for you.

Connect with Mia:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martensson.mia/

Seven Stars Resort: www.sevenstarsgracebay.com

Episode Highlights:

• Mia's journey from dishwasher to sommelier
• Working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Sweden
• Tasting legendary wines and historic vintages
• Why South Africa became a turning point in her career 
• The opportunities that shaped Mia's career 
• WSET and the evolution of wine education 
• The role networking plays in the wine industry
• Underrated wine regions in Argentina and Chile
• Why Australia deserves more attention
• The wines and regions that continue to inspire her
• What makes wine such a powerful connector

Resources:

What Makes South African Wine so Unique w/ Duncan Savage (Part 1) - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-130

How Duncan Savage is Redefining South African Wine (Part 2) -  https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/category/south-african-wine

Exploring Australian Wine w/ Jane Lopes - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-34

Transcript

0:09

Interested in learning about wine but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. I'm your host, Hayley Bowlman and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle based wine tasting business Corporate Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total cork dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass and let's dive in foreign. Welcome back to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. Today we're talking to a sommelier with a very impressive history and a great story. She's originally from the Swedish island of Gotland. Mia Martenson started her journey washing dishes at 14 before climbing the ranks of the world's most prestigious restaurants. Her career has taken her from sommelier roles at Michelin starred landmarks in Stockholm to a nine year stint in the heart of South Africa's wine country. She even spent six years sailing the globe as head sommelier on the luxury yacht the World, sourcing incredible vintages from every corner of the map. Today she's the creative force behind the award winning wine and beverage program at Seven Stars Resort in Turks and Caicos. She has literally taken this program from what she say like eight wines to what it is today. And so I think you'll really enjoy the story she has to say. In this episode we are going to talk about how Mia fell in love with wine, what amazing bottles she's had the opportunity to taste as a sommelier and how that affected her career. Why she chose W set over the court of master sommeliers for her education. What has impressed her the most from the different wine regions that she's visited and there are quite a few and so much more. So without further let's get into the interview. So let's start with one of my favorite questions to ask anyone who works in the world of wine which is how did you fall in love with wine? My first job I ever had When I was 17 I worked in a castle in the south of Sweden and they had a magnificent old style wine cellar and those were the days where Sweden was a very big purchaser of Spanish wine. So my first induction into wine was through Spain and my Celeste at the time took me under his wing and kind of taught me a few things and that kind of spurred the moment, so to speak, and kind of got your teeth a little bit bloody into the tempranillo. Yes, it usually, it usually doesn't take much. I feel like you start trying some wine, you. You learn from an expert and suddenly you are just wanting to know everything you can about the wine world. The more you study, you less you know. Yeah, exactly. So, well, let's kind of start. You know, you kind of already got us started with like where you started your career, but you've had quite the journey of a career in wine. So can you tell us about your path to becoming a sommelier? Yeah, so I trained to be a chef but were way too social to fit in the back, so I kind of ended up in the front. And I've never kind of planned it. It just happened that I had a natural ability to it and I always liked people, so it kind of fell in hand to that. But yeah, I worked many different restaurants and I was working down in the south of Sweden. And at that time the most famous restaurant in Stockholm and still is is the Opera Cellar, which is the house of the Opera House, which has five restaurants in it. And there was a very famous chef who, his name was Werner Fugely and he and his friend had a house just around the corner from where I used to work. And he came in and he kind of like, why don't you come with me to Stockholm and start working for me? So he brought me to Stockholm, start working for him at the one star Michelin restaurant, old school, one of the biggest sellers in the Nordic countries. So verticals of like big wines back to 1928 and so on, that was like normal night to sell DRC from the 70s and Kim from the 40s. And you know, all of this. I mean, I was very privileged to be able to taste all these wines which the new sommeliers today don't have. And he put me through sommelier school. So I worked for him for eight years until he passed. And then I continued to the only two star Michelin restaurant in Sweden at that time, the Nordic countries actually in Stockholm. So I worked for them for six years and then I went on a trip with the Somnia association that I was involved with to South Africa and 2004 and fell head over heels in love with South Africa and came down to work for three weeks while my restaurant was closed in the wintertime. And they offered me a full term job. So I thought I will Stay for a year. Stayed nine years. And from there I ended up on the world's largest privately owned mega yacht, the World, which I worked for for six and a half years. One of the biggest sellers, one of the most amazing journeys ever around the world. And through them, I met the current owners of Seven Stars who needed the help with the beverage program. Ended up in Turks and Caicos. Supposed to be here for a year. I'm on my eighth year now. Wow. It's amazing how much, just like, hearing you talk about all the different things you've done of just like, how much of it just came from, like, keeping your options open or like seeing an opportunity and being like, let's try it. Let's see what happens. And then sticking around because you really enjoyed it. I've been very fortunate. I also met a lot of great people along my journey who has helped me in so many ways. I could never be where I am today if I hadn't had those people around. And also I landed in South Africa just 10 years after apartheid was lifted, which was one of the most interesting, most amazing, most fizzing energies of places you could be in 2005, when I moved down and was part of the whole journey. Of all the young guns in those days, who is now the old guns like Ivan Zardi, the Leuven Estate with Andrea and Chris Molyneux. You know, all of these amazing young characters that helped to form and was the vanguard of the new South Africa, which is today why it is like it is. So I was very fortunate. Just a quick reminder, if you are not on my mailing list yet, what are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under $15. Head to corkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Now, let's get back to the show. I have to ask you. I'm gonna have to look it up really quick. Cause I'm blanking on his name. But we've had somebody on the podcast before that was part of the, like, the Young guns or the new age of, like, exactly what you're talking about. I'm just gonna have to go back and see if I can find his name. It's been a little while. I've been on a little bit of a break. Maternity leave. I had a Baby in January. Oh, congratulations. Thank you. And so this is my first podcast recording since I had the baby. A little boy. Aw. Yes. He's a little sweetheart. He's our little. We call him Mr. Bubby. He's a little cutie. Okay. Savage Wines. Duncan Savage. Duncan Savage, Yeah. Absolutely. Good friend. He's amazing. And I met him, he worked for Cape Point Vineyards. Yes, yes. And he branched out and became Savage Wine. And he's also a part of the vanguard. And he was the vanguard for Sauvignon Blanc, Samilon of South Africa. And he brought it to an absolutely new level, which he made some wine that was on par with, like the Mende Chevalier white from Bordeaux or, you know, all of these amazing white Bordeaux wines. He literally took it to the next level, and then he became part of the Cape Winemaker Guild. He's a great guy and a great winemaker. Yes. No, I love when I can make these connections, but I'm like, wait a second, I've heard that before. He did a great, great interview on the show. It was fun and it definitely made me want to go to South Africa. That is a region I have not visited yet, so I definitely need to. It's like Napa Valley on steroids. Okay, I like that. But with. With the dollar that you come with now, you live like Oprah Winfrey. Even better. You mentioned that too. He's like, yeah, you come down. The US Dollar is great down here. It is incredible food and everything. Like, it's a little bit. It's a mixture of Napa Valley on steroids and the born food. Like, everything is about the food. And everybody's so proud of the food heritage because they are so rich in supply from both the ocean, all the game vegetables and everything. It's is incredible. And then you have the wine on top of that, right? Yeah. All right, well, that's the other thing that's going to come out of this podcast. You also need to go to South Africa. Anybody listening? Okay, I'm gonna take us back to before you went to South Africa and you talked about your experience at a Michelin starred restaurant in Stockholm and getting to try, you know, a multitude of wines. You mentioned, you know, doing a vertical. And so for those that aren't familiar, vertical is like the same wine just multiple different years. And so, you know, going back to 1920, something like. That's amazing. And DRC domain Romani Conti, which is like the most expensive wine of Burgundy, and Chateau Yachim, which is the really expensive, delicious, sweet wine from Bordeaux. How did that shape your career, getting to taste these, you know, wines that at this point are near impossible to get to taste. Yeah. Obviously, it's also helped your library in your head because you get references. Right. And also, you have to remember in those days, the wine technology and how the wines were made was very different to what it is today. So Bordeaux today is very different how you taste Bordeaux from the 60s and the 70s, so is definitely Burgundy as well. And Champagne to a certain matter. Like, we used to have verticals with Cristal from 1945, from up until 49, which was incredible. But those are a completely different level of quality. And also you're drinking history. Right. Which is really cool as well. And especially from champagne from the First World War and Second World War. But those wines, and they kind of made you curious, obviously, to taste and sell as much. Possible. But I think that also spurred me in, when I landed in South Africa, that there was something new and a little bit not so rigorous, because when I worked in those days, it was very rigorous, and it was quite snobbish in terms of how wine was perceived, because people didn't have Internet. They didn't have the access to what we have today. You had to be walked a few restaurants before you kind of get to know what. What happened and how the wines were tasting. So South Africa was. Or the new world, I would say, allowed us to start to taste new things and compare and whatnot, and also to find out more. I mean, blind tasting. When I graduated in 1999, blind tasting wine then was very different to what they do when they graduate today, because today we have, what, 300 wines in China. We have wines in wineries in Japan, Taiwan. Sweden has 30 wineries, and obviously England, fantastic sparkling wines. So it's very challenging to be a sommelier today, to taste in a different way. I'm not saying it's easier or it was when I grew up in the wine world, but it was just a little bit more different in reference frames than you maybe do today. But it's definitely helped shaping, but it's also helped me to build onto the career, especially coming out of South Africa, spending so many years there working in wine. But this also, again, catapult me maybe more into. As I get older, I tend to go back to the root system, which is obviously classic sommelier, Riesling, Burgundy. I love Bordeaux, but maybe not too old. Bordeaux, Bordeaux, I like them a little bit, like 10, 15 years old, but it's because I think my palette started there. Yeah, I love how it's like almost like full circle. Like, starting in the old classic kind of style and learning about all of that and then going to South Africa and this, like, new world. And basically, I've heard a lot about, like, you know, when you're comparing old world and new world, the. The old world is. Is great, but they're, like you said, it's kind of strict. You know, this is what you should expect versus, like, going into the new world. In South Africa, there was, like, there were no rules, which is, you know, hard in some ways, but amazing in other ways, where you get to kind of, like, create your rules or do whatever you want. But also, the new world also helped to shape a lot of the old winemakers because many of the young guns that came out of the Rhone Valley and Burgundy who took over the properties, they're not allowed to grow anything else. They're only allowed to do what they're working with and so forth. Many of them are met in South Africa. They came over and they did a lot of collaborations with some of the winemakers because they wanted to learn more how everything was working. And they were so restricted to work in different ways with their own wines that they wanted to explore more. So on the wintertime, they came to South Africa. So I met the late Alain Grailot, came quite often Croissant. You met a lot of the young guys from Burgundy from. Especially from Nuit St. Georges, that was struggling with a lot of quite austere Burgundies at the time. Today is very different. Also. The climate change has helped them a lot to get a little bit more softness to it. But it was an interesting time from. I would say from 2005 up until 2015, where we have a longer. Many of the young guns from those areas. And also remember, many of these guys comes out like the job, for example, who's. They bought the first vineyard in 1481. 18 generation running the property. No pressure, mate. You know, you get quite restricted on what you're allowed to do and not to do. So obviously, it's good for them to kind of branch off and do something else somewhere else in the world. It doesn't have to be South Africa. It can be Argentina or Chile. Obviously, US has been a huge impact in terms of Opus One, Mondavi, all of the rest, who did a lot of collaboration and very important collaborations. Yeah, well, yeah. And I have to remember, too, because when you think about it, it works really well for those that are in Europe to, you know, work down in South Africa or, like, I said Argentina, Chile. Because the harvest and winemaking is on opposite calendars, essentially. So they. They can do both if they want to. Exactly. Exactly. Nice. Okay, well, let's dive into a little bit more of your formal small EA training. So I noticed that for formal training you went the W set route, which is wine and spirit education. Trust for those listening. Typically I think of like formal sommelier training is usually W set or the master sommelier route. What made you decide to go W set? Wait, I know you think this is an ad, but it's not, so don't hit Skip. I have a small favor to ask. Here's the truth. I will never charge you to listen to this show, but every episode takes time and money to create. So if this podcast has helped you pick a better bottle, learn something new, or just kept you company, would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? You can show your Support for just 3, 5, 8 or$10 a month to say thanks. Every single supporter gets a shout out on the next episode I record. And if you choose the$10 tier, you actually get to pick a future episode topic. Setting up a subscription is a great way to show your love for the show. Just click the link in the description right now. Thank you for listening, supporting and being part of my wine loving community. Now let's get back to the show. That was the only thing that was available when I applied. Yeah, the Master's Somalia program was not available at all in those days. I think the Master's Somalia program came to Sweden only like three or four years ago. Wow. So it's quite new. But what I like with the Master's Somnula program is that they have taken over where the WSAT used to be. WSAT has quite changed a lot over the years because obviously the world have changed. When I went to Somni School, it was a year and a half full study. Right. And you work with the chefs, you work with all of the other things. You work everything from water, cigars, tea, coffee, chocolate. You work with all the different kind of barrages that is everything that you could. And then to apply to the school, you had to work for five years as a waiter or a waitress to be even be applicable to coming to the school. Because it was all about preserving the professional. And obviously you did everything. You had psychology classes, acting classes, a lot of practical work in terms of how you decant and how you work and how you walk in the taste in a dining room, what you ask your guests that you have never met before. And within 10 seconds. Needs to know what would they like and what do they like and how much would you like to spend without asking how much they want to spend. So it's a whole kind of different level today. Obviously, the world changed, and all of a sudden we got all like Waitrose and all of the other who started big wine departments. So you have buyers in a different way. There was a lot of tastings in terms of more wine magazine that came on, so you needed to level it to a different clientele in terms of how. How you were using your education to what purpose. So it's a little bit different. And then Master assembly program has kind of always been about the flow, which I really, really appreciate. And the first people. Yeah, because that was. I was kind of honestly where that question kind of came from, because I always understood WSET as more so being like, it's more of like a formal education of like, just like the ba, not the basics, but just like on the research side or, you know, like, you could do that if you wanted to do pretty much anything in the wine world versus you go the master sommelier route if you wanted to be on the floor being, you know, a sommelier in a restaurant. But it sounds like previously WSET did exactly the same thing that master sommelier is doing now. Yes. Oh, yeah. There was really hard blind tastings in the exams and oral and practical and so written as well. And you did it all in English. So it was a completely different approach to what it is today. And the master's Somalia program was very hard if it was not in your country to access, because they don't really allow you to do overline. You need to be participating in classes, which I really like, because you get a different feeling than if you do it just online. Definitely. And you get more of a camaraderie. And the people I went to school with in 1999, we were all still friends, so we all kind of work in different parts of the wine world still today. But it's a different camaraderie and also a networking part, which is very important in our business. Right. Well, especially, I mean, like, we talked about your entire career. So much of it came from the people that you met and the connections that you made. And so that. That does make a lot of sense that, like, education should also be collaborative and a way to make connections with folks. Absolutely. And in this day and age, I think we should do it even more. Yes. No, I couldn't agree more. I. I definitely. That's one of the reasons I love Wine is that it encourages that collaboration and that connection with other people. You never meet bad people with food and wine. No, you don't. My favorite thing about, like, wine people is that, like, they want to share their best wines with you. I feel like that's, like, such a good way of, like, telling wins, like, why wine people are so great is they're, like, they'll have, like, one of their favorite wines and something that's so special, and you'd think, oh, you want to save that for yourself? And it's like, no, no, no. I want, like, when the cool people are over, I want to bring it out, and I need you to taste this with me because it's way more fun that way. Very true. Okay, well, let's talk a little bit more about your world travels. We've talked a lot about South Africa, but what wine regions have you visited? And what was it about each one that impressed you? And feel free to include South Africa in this as well. Well, I've been pretty much everywhere. I almost say, well, pick your favorite, like, your top. Your top five. My top five. I mean, Burgundy is obviously the warmest, I believe, still, I lived there in a previous life Burgundy, because. I don't know, it has to do with age. Again, is that you come there, everything slows down for the better. They live according to nature, and they follow nature, whatever they eat, how the nature preserve the wines, whatever, you know, it's just the DNA and the essence of what food and wine is and people comes to together. In Bonn and Burgundy, I think that's just one of those. You always discover new things. You always discover new restaurants. They're not very big restaurants, but they're very good. The wine lists are so affordable, and you can really eat and drink your way through Burgundy for very reasonable money. I like Argentina very much. I sometimes feel like they get a bad rep because the new world kind of always end up that people want to have the cheapest wine, but it's not about the cheapest wine. Argentina. Catena, who was the first one to start planting high vines, who kind of laid the foundation to what Argentina is today. They still don't get enough rep internationally, but I think it has more to do with their logistics on how they get their wines out of the country as the US Gets more. More than the rest of the world do. So when we were there with a ship, it was always amazing to visit because you could get in to visit all the smaller producers and get to get. And I mean, some of the most amazing cabernet France I've ever tasted in my life. Coming out of Argentina, Chile is also very interesting. I think still they have a little bit longer to walk than maybe Argentina do. The Carmanier is amazing. I really like the wines out of there, but it's also a very interesting country. And I think that the people are phenomenal coming out of Chile. I would say Australia is also one of those, because everything is about how it do, mate. You know, it's a very relaxed, very kickback. And coming out of South Africa, it's kind of. I understand why the clink. And also, do you notice the cricket and the rugby and, you know, it's all about being down to earth and not very posh in any way. And they make some incredible wines in Australia today. Leuwin Estates is most probably one of my favorite estates. Their Chardonnay is just outstanding. Mornington Peninsula, making some extraordinary Giaconda. I love Giaconda. Out of there, Tasmania makes some amazing wines as well. Really, really good Samillon Blanc. Samillon blends, outstanding. But again, it's very hard to get hold of this wine. But they're really incredible wine regions, and people work very hard, and they do a lot of work for it, and they're not always getting all them. But obviously South Africa is also part of it. But it's hard to pick one reading because everything has its own reason and rhyme and reasons for it. But New Zealand is also amazing. But I would say that's kind of up there. But, yeah, no, that was great. I loved hearing, like, kind of, like the reasoning why behind each of them and where they stand out. I was thinking, too, about Australia as well. I've had Jane Lopes on the podcast before, and she's bringing in. You know, she. She wrote the book about all the regions of Australian wine, because there wasn't one really before. And people just thought of, oh, they just have Shiraz. And maybe you know about the Semillon from Hunter Valley. But that's. That's pretty much it. And it's like, no, there's so much more. And they've also started an import company at least here into the US to try to, like, help us here realize that there is more to Australian wine than just Shiraz. Exactly. And also that book is amazing, by the way. Yes. And there's so much in Australia, but it's also so much history, especially when you look at the sweet wine. So Sepulfield is called, which they make. It's a fortified wine, but they have a long, long history. And they come in small, small bottles. And it's almost like a port wine. It's absolutely amazing wines. Amazing. And some of them have very high pricing on it, but no one really talks about them. So it again, is that they don't always get all the cred that they need. No. And I feel that some of that comes from I remember talking to somebody on the show that like, some of it comes from, like in the formal wine education, you didn't hear about any of that and you had to go experience it yourself. And so my hope is with like shows like this that we can kind of introduce people to it in a, in a way that's very approachable and they can realize that, oh yeah, now I need to look for Australian wine that is, is different than that Shiraz that I see on the shelf all the time. Yellow Tail. I love it. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. If you loved it as much as I did, I'd so appreciate if you could take a quick second rate it and leave a review. And if you know a wine lover in your life that would love this episode, please share it with them. If you'd like to show additional support for the show, you can become a paid subscriber, click the link in the show notes and become a monthly supporter for $10 or less a month. That's basically, basically like a coffee a month. And you'll be helping to support me creating this podcast. You'll get a shout out in the next episode I record. Plus, if you choose the $10 a month option, you get to choose a topic for a future episode. In next week's episode, you'll hear part two of my interview with Mia where we talk about what it's like as a resort. SOM for 7 stars resort and spa in Turks and Caicos what wine she's most excited about on her wine list, the Top of Wine. She's looking to add to the resort's collection her favorite stories and experiences from all of the different things she's done in her life as a sommelier and so much more. Thanks again for listening. And if you want to learn more about wine, come follow me at corkandfizz on Instagram. Cheers.