Stein’s Stories: Roni

Meet Roni, Sommelier at The Seafood Restaurant

Roni, Jill’s sister, joined our team at The Seafood Restaurant 34 years ago and can still be found doing two shifts a week as sommelier. She passes her wealth of wine knowledge and enthusiasm onto our guests, showcasing the extensive wine list that she knows so well. ‘Being part of The Seafood Restaurant’s history, a place that’s full of heart and great people is why I love coming to work, even after all these years.’

Roni’s journey to sommelier hadn’t been one that she’d ever imagined. When she joined the business in 1988, she had no wine knowledge and no interest in wine – she described herself as a ‘whisky girl’. Roni admits that she didn’t even know how to open a bottle of wine and had to be shown by a fellow colleague. Rick and Jill however, had big ideas for her and when they went on their annual winter pilgrimage to Australia, they left her the key to their wine cellar and tasked her with trying a few. Roni had only three words for Rick and Jill on their return, ‘I like wine!’ She had undoubtedly enjoyed her winter wine adventure and had put together a rather large list of her favourite wines and tasting notes.

34 years on, and Roni still enjoys inspiring our guests to try new wines or different food and wine pairings. Two bottles that she particularly loves to share are Rick’s White Burgundy – ‘It works so well with lots of seafood dishes and I’m proud to have helped blend the very first bottle in 2015’, and something a little different, an Assyrtiko from the Greek island of Santorini.