Long, winy road

New challenge

Li worked at the Park Hyatt Beijing from 2010 to 2013 before moving to London to advance her studies, where she interned at the Michelin-starred Le Gavroche and Medlar restaurants.

Returning to China in 2015, she worked as a consultant for the same hotel and a number of restaurants.

Two years ago, she was invited to create a wine list for the Sheng Yong Xing Roast Duck Restaurant, where she paired several wines of different price ranges to the roast duck, impressing food aficionados around the capital.

"Unlike French cuisine where the meat is cooked in large pieces, in Chinese cuisine the meat is usually sliced, so it needs to be paired with wines that are not too strong," Li explains.

"Many Chinese dishes are also seasoned with sugar and pair well with sweet or fruity wines."

In December, she was invited by the Oyster Talks restaurant to devise a wine list to complement their menu. She initially thought it would be an easy task, but it actually took her several months to complete her first draft of the list.

There is a saying that eating oysters "is like kissing the sea on the lips", but the flavors of oysters vary according to their habitat-from sweet or salty, to rich and mineral.

According to Simon Chan, executive chef at Oyster Talks, as well as common regional differences, oysters can offer different flavors during different seasons.