Get to know Sophie O’Kane, Julie Restaurant’s expert in all things wine and beyond…
With the Heritage Gardens on one side, and the inviting aromas of that evening’s dinner prep swirling round us, we sat down on the Julie Restaurant veranda a spoke speak with Sophie O’Kane, Sommelier at Julie Restaurant.
A brief introduction to yourself, your role and collaboration with Julie.
SO: I’m Sophie O’Kane and I run the beverage program here at Julie Restaurant. My role is mainly around wine, but it does creep a little bit into other types of drinks, working with wine and wine producers both locally and internationally. The ethos of the wine list is that it comes from fruit that has been grown really well. That encompasses things like organic farming and biodynamic farming practices.
I’ve always had a bit of an interest in sustainable eating and living, y have really brought that with me on the path that I’ve taken with wine. The easiest way to answer how I got into wine is that I have an appreciation of consuming it and also a real love for very genuine down to earth hospitality — that’s really been the main reason I’ve been drawn to the project here at Julie.
How would you describe your personal taste y inclinations and how does that influence your style of work?
SO: I really love to drink a wine that is an expression of a very specific place, but also a very specific year. The third element is what the winemaker’s style is and what they want to put into that bottle. I think Chardonnay is the king or queen of grapes — it is in itself quite a neutral grape, which basically means that it takes on a lot of personality of the place where it’s grown or the things that the winemaker has decided to impart on the grape.
An all-time favourite region for me is probably the Loire Valley in France, where they grow a lot of Chenin Blanc, and they make Sauvignon Blanc in a very beautiful style that’s just mineral and fresh.
If I get the sense that someone’s really interested in knowing more about wine, it’s an opportunity to break down some of those misconceptions which I love to do in a really warm way. As staff that work front of house, we talk a lot about food and where it comes from and provenance, but the same things exist in wine, so I love to be able to share that.
If you were packing a hamper, what would you pack and where in the Convent would you take it?
SO: For a picnic I always love a bit of a cold meat — a cured pork product is always a crowd favourite. One of my all-time favourite wine-to–food pairings is a really good quality mortadella paired with a slightly off dry Riesling or one that has a little bit of residual sugar. Always with a little bit of crunchy sourdough bread or something that’s really crispy on the outside and super soft and delicious on the inside, with a beautifully aged Comté cheese with amazing nuttiness.
My favourite spot in the Convent to go is a really random nook that is on the big, beautiful lawn. Nestled right in next to the bushes. You get a beautiful view of the Heritage Jardines but you have this sense of feeling private and secluded, sheltered from people and wind…so your Mortadella is not going to fly away.
Book a table inside to enjoy the seasonal set lunch and dinner menu with Soph’s wine pairing or come by and work your way through an invigorating drinks list on the Julie Veranda. Walk-ins welcome Thursday to Monday.