Yi Ying Yong

The Climb

Champagne sits at the center of Yi Ying Ying’s work, but the brief is broader than service: it asks for study, recall and the ability to explain what is in the glass without flattening it. As Junior Assistant Head Sommelier and on secondment looking after 67 on Hollywood at 67 Pall Mall Singapore, she works at that intersection of precision and pleasure. Her focus on wines with context is explicit in her own words: “I love learning the history, geography, and personalities behind a wine. For me, knowing how the wine is made makes the experience so rewarding.” The point is not just to pour well, but to read the bottle as craft, place and method.

Today

At 67 Pall Mall Singapore, Yi Ying Ying’s work as Junior Assistant Head Sommelier is shaped by curiosity as much as by service. Champagne anchors the list, but the discipline is wider: vineyard, cellar and table all sit inside the same conversation. “That said, the best way to learn about wine is to taste as much as possible.” It is plain advice, and practical. Tasting widely keeps the palate moving; tasting closely keeps the work honest. In a room where bottles span regions, years and styles, her task is to make that range legible without losing its detail.

Signature

Bereche et Fils’ 2017 Ambonnay Grand Cru is among the wines Yi Ying Ying focuses on. The bottle points to the kind of work she values: wines that show origin, texture and measured distinction rather than noise. For a sommelier attentive to what sits behind a label, it is a fitting marker of taste. The interest here is in detail, and in the way craftsmanship and place meet in the glass.

In Their Words “In Hong Kong I’m trying to educate a fizz-obsessed city on the nuances behind the bubbles, and the fact that Champagne can be drunk anytime, anywhere: to begin a meal or to end it; to make a toast or sip throughout a meal.” The line is direct about the work: widen the frame around Champagne and move it beyond special-occasion shorthand. In her telling, the category can sit with the meal, open the meal or close it; the point is to show that it carries more than sparkle. “I love learning the history, geography, and personalities behind a wine. For me, knowing how the wine is made makes the experience so rewarding.” That view underpins the service. The glass is never only a beverage; it is a record of origin and method, and the value lies in understanding those parts as clearly as tasting them.