It’s her passion for wine that has seen Cecilia Oldne move from Sweden to Mumbai, where she’s now been based for ten years, as VP of Marketing and Global Brand Ambassador of Sula Vineyards. In an interview with Hi! Blitz, she talks about how the energy of the city drives her and the many wonders like yoga that India’s exposed her to.
You were a sommelier in your hometown of Sweden. What led you to studying wine and taking it up as a profession?
My father is a wine connoisseur. So, as compared to other families who would go to the beach for a holiday, my father took us to vineyards in Europe. I was very young at the time and naturally couldn’t drink any wine, but I was exposed to the life of wine producers. In fact the first time I tasted wine I didn’t like it because it was a red wine that was too dry for me. But then I started getting more interested and tasting other types—and found the sweeter white wines were more to my palate.
Was being a sommelier something you always wanted to be or did it happen by accident?
I was studying international business and marketing, but it was my godfather who was in the wine business (one of the first people to bring South African wines into Sweden), who offered me a job in his family company. I thought, whatever happens, the two things people will always want is to consume good food and good alcohol. So in terms of a business plan it was great (laughs). I slowly started learning about wines, building brands around wines and realised that I had to know more than the consumer—that’s when I decided to become a sommelier.
How did you end up joining Sula Vineyards? Was India even in your headspace?
This story is from the March/April 2017 edition of Hi!BLITZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March/April 2017 edition of Hi!BLITZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ranveer Singh: Bollywood's Don Quixote
In an industry falling apart financially at the seams, you sometimes need an entity like Ranveer Singh to remind you of the joyous madness of the movies and why we watch them. He’s the Don Quixote of Hindi cinema, playing out his heart, body and mind, always delivering the unexpected, keeping the audience hooked for the next act, the constantly performing artiste of our times. In this interview with Shalini Sharma the actor talks about how a career threatening health scare liberated him from fear and judgment and empowered him with the conviction that he can do anything he wants.
Valentine's Day Tripping
Dominic Costabir dips into his tried and tested haversack of cues to help you plot the perfect romantic escapade.
Krakow Calling!
The magical city of Krakow is one of Poland’s oldest and largest cultural strongholds that abounds with everything from history and food to some stellar museums and basilicas, discovers Raul Dias on a winter trip in and around the city that sits on the banks of the Vistula River.
Hinglish English
While the brother is a flourishing restaurateur, the sister is a talented jewellery designer. Hi! Blitz meets Shagun and Dishi Somani and finds that the siblings are each other’s back-up squad.
Je t'aime, Bangalore!
Masala dosa is his favourite breakfast; Hampi his favourite travel destination. Ace hairstylist Patrick Bezza tells Hi! Blitz how he fell in love with Bangalore, one rickshaw ride at a time.
The Mad Extravagance
Glittering, risqué, rebellious and just plain fun, the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria unfolds like a dramatized fairytale for adults. The almost month-long carnival propels the viewer into a magical world of beautiful carnival queens, drag queens, costume parties and street parades.
In the Desi Race
Tom von Bonsdorffhas worked with Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars around the world, and currently as Managing Director of Volvo Auto India is based in Delhi. In a chat with Hi! Blitz he talks about the very first car he bought, the peculiarities that come with the Indian car market and what he loves the most about Delhi.
New Yorker In Bollywood
Not only is Aseem Chhabra the most well-known Indian film critic in New York, he’s also Festival Director of the New York Indian Film Festival and recent author of Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, The Star. He tells Hi! Blitz about the time he pissed off Angelina Jolie’s publicist and the relationships that have soured post a bad review.
The Credibility Issue
He is India’s most travelled globe-trotting film critic. Rajeev Masand is the entertainment editor with CNN News 18, has a scandalously gossipy column with Open magazine, and flies around the world to interview mega Hollywood stars like Daniel Craig and Tom Cruise for his television show. Having covered international award shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes, he tells Hi! Blitz why our Bollywood award shows have zero credibility, and recounts the one time he was threatened after a bad review.
Small Bites, Big Gains
Having been in the profession of suggesting healthy eating portions to the conscious eaters in the City of Joy for a decade, Hena Nafis has now launched Eat Good Food café as a destination for healthy indulgence and a haven for guilt-free eating. She insists her project is the harbinger of a huge future trend in health eateries.
