Tell us about how you got into wine and why you wanted to follow a career in wine?
I was on a surfing trip in South Africa in the mid 1990s and started doing some casual work in restaurants. Whilst in Cape Town I visited some of the local wineries which sparked an interest. On return to my native Cornwall I used what little I’d learned to land a role as a wine steward at the nearest four star hotel, The Carlyon Bay, and started to study with WSET.
I was fascinated and it was around this point that I decided that I would put all my energy into learning about wine.
From Cornwall I moved to Newbury and Sir Peter Michael’s Donnington Valley Hotel, charged with looking after the wine cellar and service in their restaurant. They were opening a sister property called The Vineyard at Stockcross which was aiming for Michelin stars and they brought in Edoardo Amadi from L’Escargot to set up the sommelier brigade which I ended up joining.
Edoardo, along with Martin Schofield and subsequently Shaun Corrigan were my initial mentors.
What attracted you to being a sommelier specifically?
Stephen Towler has moved from the restaurant floor to working as a trainer and educator of the next generation of sommliers coming out of Dubai
It was learning about the subject of wine that I was most passionate about. Being able to link the theory of those initial lessons to what’s in the glass. I came to appreciate the buzz of a busy service and eventually the satisfaction of establishing wine programmes for new hotels but it was the education aspect that intrigued me.
What has been your career to date as a sommelier - key steps along the way?
My career on the restaurant floor ended in 2009 when I made the transition into sales. By this time I had moved from Newbury to London where I took my first head sommelier role at The Orrery, from there a year in Provence (La Bastide de Moustiers) and three years in Bordeaux (Les Sources de Caudalie), then the Maldives and eventually Dubai, both with One&Only Resorts.
A key step was completing my WSET level 4 Diploma in 2003 and embarking on the Court of Master Sommeliers programme. I managed to pass the Advanced CMS in 2008 after having moved to Dubai a couple of years prior and was approached to join the Jackson Family Wines international sales team the following year with whom I stayed for five years based first in Dubai and subsequently Berlin.
From Berlin I moved back to Dubai joining MMI in 2014 as fine wine category manager, moving to senior beverage advisor Emirates Airline (MMI is an Emirates Group company) and since 2022 in an educational capacity, first as a freelancer, then employed as manager of the MMI Wine Academy which we opened in April 2024.
What was your initial training to be a sommelier?
I learned mostly on the job from the team at The Vineyard, I was lucky that I got to work with an experienced team that was drawn from some of the best restaurants across the South of England.
Looking back I should have started studying with the Court of Master Sommeliers earlier, which would have given me a broader more service oriented skill set, but I remained focused on obtaining my WSET Diploma.
What do you enjoy most about being a sommelier?
Constantly being open to learning, tasting and sharing ideas with your fellow sommeliers are all key elements to be a Master Sommelier says Stephen Towler
As I haven’t been on the restaurant floor for so long, being a sommelier for me now is about sharing knowledge and interacting with other students, educators and Master Sommeliers.
Researching to prepare practice questions for candidates and attending tastings by visiting producers to the MMI offices are the parts of my job that are most enjoyable to me and help keep me up to speed.
What do you find the most challenging and how do you get around that?
We have a whole range of students attending the Academy, possessing different levels of knowledge and motivation. Some who are just starting their career in hospitality have been sent by their employers to learn the very basics. It can be a challenge to engage them and it takes a lot of energy but if you can convert that disinterest to interest it can feel very rewarding.
Why did you want to train to be a Master Sommelier?
To prove a point to myself really. When I joined Jackson Family Wines in 2009 they had recently employed a number of Master Sommeliers within their sales team and I found working alongside them to be hugely inspirational. They were encouraging me to attempt the MS and I thought why not give it a go?
I tried three times but it became clear that I was not nearly at the level I needed to be. After a few years it began gnawing at me that there was some unfinished business, I decided to get back to studying but this time with more structure and discipline.
What was the process like in terms of the time and dedication you need?
Intense. The MS exam consists of three parts, practical, theory and tasting, you need to pass all three within three successive attempts. After the third attempt I had passed the practical but not the other two so when I decided to return to the programme I had to resit all three parts.
By this time there were more online resources available which facilitated the construction of my notes and flashcards. I would recite my notes into a recorder and listen to them whilst out walking my dogs in the morning.
I also reached out to other candidates to build a network of study partners, we would test each other a few times a week and I would save the questions on a flashcard app (I have over 10,000 saved).
These regular Q&A sessions were key to getting through theory, which I passed on the fifth attempt, however, I failed the tasting component that year and also the following year so had to resit all three parts again. I passed theory and practical on my seventh attempt and eventually got through the tasting on the eighth attempt.
What did you find the most difficult part of doing the MS exams?
Stephen Towler receiving his Master Sommelier Diploma from Brian Julyan
I struggled with the tasting component and with exam nerves. Having access to a library of wines at The MMI Academy has been a great help, as has Coravin (a game changer for the sommelier community over the last 10 years).
Also having support around me to set up and give feedback on blind tastings such as my colleagues Melina Aguirre Jaén and Master Sommelier Kamal Malik, as well as my fellow candidate and study partner Mircea Anca.
Most important of all has been the support of my wife Tonia who was not only preparing blind tastings for me leading up to the exam but has had to put up with my many hours of study and a holiday schedule largely based around the timing of the Master Sommelier Diploma, year after year.
How did you deal with the exam nerves?
Ensuring I had enough sleep. I am an early riser with a precise body clock and am normally out with the dogs at 5.30am in Dubai, which translates to automatically waking up at 2.30am in London or 3.30am Austria. The last couple of exam attempts I was getting to bed by 8pm the day before the exam to make sure I was adequately rested. This helped maintain my composure during the practical part of the exam and my memory during the theory.
What advice would you give to other sommeliers who want to train to be a MS?
Be prepared for the long haul. I’ve seen quite a few very talented sommeliers completely immerse themselves in study and reach a level where I was convinced they were going to get through, but they just didn’t manage to pass on the day and subsequently withdrew from the programme.
It is disheartening not to pass, but is also another opportunity to augment your knowledge, service skills and tasting ability. It’s a case of the journey being more important than the goal. I found that building study into my daily routine in a way that could be sustained for the long term worked well for me in the end.
What has it meant to you personally to become a Master Sommelier?
I am lucky that I am with a company that recognises the achievement and in a position where it can directly enhance how the MMI Wine Academy is perceived. It adds further credibility to our sommelier mentoring sessions and elevates not only my profile but that of the academy as well.
For me personally passing the exam is a validation of all the time and energy invested in the process. It also justifies the financial investment from MMI who assisted with course expenses, for which I am very grateful.
What are your ambitions now as a sommelier and where you want to work?
The ambition now is to help other candidates as they progress through their studies. The Wine Academy has helped to facilitate CMS Introductory and certified courses in Dubai in each of the last two years and we have already agreed dates for the 2026 courses.
It is a great pleasure to watch students as they grasp the opportunity to further their studies and careers and a privilege to play a small part in that progression. I also want to strengthen my knowledge in certain categories, particularly on sake where there is so much to learn.
Anything else to say?
I would encourage all young hospitality students to consider a career as a sommelier. It’s a path that can lead through some of the world’s most esteemed restaurants to its most revered vineyards. Studying with the Court of Master Sommeliers has not only helped my career to evolve but has pushed me to develop the rigour, structure and determination needed to achieve my goals, whatever they may be in the future.
* If you want to find out more about the Court of Master Sommeliers click here.
