A girl who grew up among the coffee and tea hills of Lam Dong, born into a farming family and once a track and field athlete, is now called by many in the wine industry by an intriguing name: “Blind Tasting Queen.”
In the world of wine, Blind Tasting has always been regarded as one of the hardest skills. No label, no knowledge of the growing region, grape variety, or vintage. The taster is left with only color, aroma, and flavor to follow the few clues available in order to guess the label.
When people talk about those skilled at Blind Tasting, they often picture Western male sommeliers. And yet the winner of Ambassadeur du Monde du Vin (AMV) – the first international Blind Tasting competition held in Vietnam who then went on to win the Blind Tasting competition organized by An Nam Gourmet and Warehouse, is a girl who grew up among the coffee and tea hills of Lam Dong.
Among sommelier professionals in Vietnam, many playfully call her the “Blind Tasting Queen.”
That is Mary, whose real name is Vu Phuc Bao Nhat, co-founder of Mad Wine Bar. Mary is one of Vietnam’s standout female Sommeliers; besides her talent for blind tasting, she also holds prestigious international certifications including WSET Level 3 and the title of Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
The girl born into a family of 7 siblings from the coffee hills of Lam Dong
Few know that the girl who can identify a glass of Pinot Noir, Riesling,… after just a few minutes of smelling and tasting grew up in a farming family in the mountainous region of Lam Dong. Mary is the sixth child in a family of seven siblings. Her family moved from the North to the Central Highlands to build a new life. Her parents carried with them the meticulousness of Northerners, while her childhood was tied to the red basalt soil and the coffee hills of Lam Dong, and later she went on to work in Saigon. It is precisely this blend that shaped a Mary who is both open and generous, yet also calm and thoughtful.
From a young age, Mary was taught to be self-reliant. Her parents taught their children one thing very clearly: if you want something, you have to earn it yourself. From the sixth grade, Mary helped her family with farm work. By the tenth grade, she was picking tea and doing hired weeding work to earn extra income.
“Back then I just thought about how to make sure the family had enough to eat.”
That sentence made me pause for a long time.
Perhaps no one in her family ever imagined that, after a period when life meant simply hoping for “enough to eat,” one of their own would become someone who guides guests through bottles of wine worth hundreds of millions of dong, telling them the story of a land half a world away from Vietnam.
Discipline born from marathon running
Before entering the service industry, she was a professional provincial track and field athlete in short-distance running and won a provincial gold medal. However, when faced with a choice between passion and the future, Mary decided to give up the path of sport.
“I think my family’s circumstances meant I had to make a more practical choice at the time. Something that could earn money for the family right away.”
She chose to study economics, a decision that surprised many people. But for her, it was a sensible choice.
Mary’s first job while still a student was serving in a coffee shop, earning a salary of 500,000 dong a month.
“Working in restaurants taught me how to eat properly, speak properly, handle things properly, present things properly.”
That is how Mary describes her first years in the service industry.
Yet even though she left the running track behind, Mary never abandoned the mindset of an athlete. She still runs marathons, still keeps up regular training.
“Sport helps me stay disciplined.”
Perhaps it is precisely that discipline that has helped her in the Sommelier profession, where the work demands constant knowledge-building and a great deal of practice.
The greatest teachers are customers and colleagues
In 2020, Mary together with two colleagues, Casper and Camilla, Danish husband and wife chefs, opened Mad Wine Bar.
At that time, no one had yet thought of a wine bar specializing deeply in wine in Saigon. But all three shared the same belief that Saigon needed a place to enjoy many good bottles of wine.
Today, Mad Wine Bar holds one of the richest and highest-quality wine lists, with around 500–600 labels; Mad has become a favorite destination for wine lovers and has received prestigious awards such as from Star Wine List, and the Best of Award of Excellence Award 2026 from Wine Spectator.
Every bottle, before it appears on the wine list, is opened, tasted, and debated by all three of them together to make sure that each bottle deserves a place on the guest’s table.
I asked Mary who her greatest teacher was.
“Customers and colleagues.”
She has some lovely guests who, whenever they have an interesting bottle of wine, will message her:
“Mary, are you working today? I’ll bring a bottle over for blind tasting.”
That is how Mary learns every day.
I asked further:
“If you could invite any celebrity to join you for a glass of wine, who would you choose?”
Mary didn’t take long to think.
“Casper and Camilla.”
“Wine makes me more humble”
“If a guest asks about a bottle you’ve never had, how do you answer them?”
Mary laughed.
“I’ll be honest and say I haven’t had it.”
But perhaps it is precisely that honesty that keeps customers coming back.
Because in the world of wine, no one can know everything.
“Why do you love wine so much?” I asked.
Mary didn’t answer right away. She glanced around Mad Wine Bar. One table raising glasses to celebrate a birthday, a group of friends laughing loudly in the corner, a couple quietly talking over glasses of red wine. She smiled and said: “Everyone comes here for a different reason. Some celebrate, some meet partners, some just want to sit alone. But wine always finds a way to connect everyone.”
Perhaps wine is also how I connected with Mary.
But what she loves about wine isn’t only in the glass. “Wine makes me appreciate more deeply the people who make it, the lands, and the harvests behind every bottle.”
Before ending our conversation, I asked what makes a good Sommelier.
Mary thought for a moment then answered: “A Sommelier is like a good bottle of wine. You have to be balanced, hardworking, open, and humble.”
Then she laughed. “Wine also makes me more humble. The more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing.”
Many people think Blind Tasting is tied to sommelier exams, but for her, it has never been the final goal. Blind Tasting is not about proving who knows more, but about learning to respect the bottle itself, the land, and the people who made it. When the label is covered, every preconception about brand, price, or reputation disappears too. What remains is only the glass of wine and the ability to listen to what it is telling you.
Blind Tasting is also the reason we always have an excuse to meet. Each person brings a bottle, a perspective, and a story. Sometimes we guess right, sometimes we guess wrong, but after every tasting session, what remains isn’t the answer, but the joy of learning from one another. Perhaps that is also the most beautiful way to enjoy wine.
Pictures by Ms Mary
Phuong Maxy began her journey as a storyteller, sharing untold stories about people in the wine industry on her personal blog. She also contributes to international publications, bringing perspectives from Vietnam’s emerging wine culture to a global audience.
With over 10 years of experience in wine marketing and communications, Phuong is passionate about connecting people, culture, and knowledge through the world of food and wine.
Her work has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Influential Women and awarded Writer of the Year by Women in Wine & Spirits Award 2025.
