Sommelier Louella Mathews talks Neil Perry, Orange and wine in Sydney

Having lived in Orange from the age of 12 to 22, she gained valuable experience while working at such well-known places such as Racine Restaurant, Lolli Redini and the Mayfield Vineyard.

"I was chasing hats," she said with a smile.

After dropping out of university where she was studying psychology, she came to a crossroads in her life.

With the option of going back to uni high on the list of possibilities, it was a chat with Racine's Shaun and Willa Arantz which put her on the path to success.

"They spoke to me and said (hospitality) was for me and that I was built for it. They said I should move to the big smoke and pursue a career there," she said.

So that's what Ms Mathews did.

But it wasn't just any restaurant role that she was aspiring to get; she wanted to become a sommelier.

"It was really daunting moving to Sydney," she said.

"I'd been a restaurant manager but I got immediately humbled."

She "started from the ground up" at world-renowned chef Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill as a food runner.

After two months in that role, she moved up to section waiter before she "begged" her head sommelier for a chance to show what she was made of.

"When you start studying the world of wine, you realise how much you don't know about it," Ms Mathews said.

"It is such a challenging, diverse and expansive topic to know."

But she more than proved her worth and has worked as a sommelier for the past decade. This included her current role with Trippas White Group where she curates 30 wine lists.

A breakthrough moment for her was realising the importance of not only studying the regions, but also learning the different styles that wine makers produce.

"Sommeliers attract two kinds of people," she said.

"Either you're that extroverted person who loves being around people and loves hosting events, or the other side is people who are really studious. When you start studying the world of wine, you realise how much you don't know about it."

She noted that since Covid, there had been a rise in those choosing to drink "locally".

"A lot of people were forced to travel in their own state and because of that, discovered what these regions had to offer," she added.

"Before, you would push people to drink local, but now people are asking for local and that's the biggest shift I've seen."

This was a trend she hoped would continue for many years to come.

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