Master of Wine to mastering balance: Sonal Holland uncorks some wisdom

Time of India

2 days ago

As the first Indian to get the Master of Wine title — one of only about 512 globally — Sonal
Holland
not only knows her wine but also sake,
shochu
, and global beverage culture. In her memoir 'One in a Billion', she offers insights into her journey — one that involved juggling travel, study, and raising her adopted daughter, who was just a year old when her MW course began in 2010. The book's title, in fact, comes from her daughter's reaction to her achievement. In a chat with
Kritika Sharma
, the 52-year-old reflects on the importance of open conversations around alcohol
In your memoir, you write about how your parents were both supportive and progressive when you ditched the hospitality industry and became a winepreneur. How has that affected the way you parent?
I'm deeply inspired by the way my parents raised my sister and me with a balance of traditional and progressive values. They instilled in us the importance of family, festivals, and friendships, while also being humble enough to admit they wanted us to grow up in a better environment than they had.
They never dwelled on failures and were always solution-oriented. My father strongly believed that our environment shapes who we become, and that's a principle I try to pass on to my daughter.
My husband is British, and English is the primary language spoken at home. There is nothing very Maharashtrian about our household, but we still host Ganpati every year, we celebrate all Indian festivals with the same zeal as we celebrate Christmas.
My daughter, who is 16, is being raised in a household where there is cultural confluence.
We allow her the space, freedom, and encouragement to make her own choices — whether it's the tuition she wants to take or the extracurricular activities she wants to try. We're not the kind of parents who hover constantly. We guide her, mentor her, and offer advice, but never impose. I genuinely believe that the best parenting style is one that advises and mentors without controlling.
How are you supporting your daughter's aspirations?
She's very interested in music and sports, but not particularly academically inclined. She recently appeared for her Class 10 board exams, and all I told her was: this is an important year, so give it your best and leave the rest. We've never pressured her to excel in maths or science. Instead, we've chosen to focus on nurturing her interests — music and football.
She has a piano teacher who comes home for lessons, and she's extremely passionate about football, so she's enrolled in the school's sports team.
This means staying back after school for extra hours, which can be logistically challenging since she can't take the school bus back and has to be picked up by car. But that's the kind of infrastructure you need to build around your child's aspirations.
We do all of this because we genuinely want to support and fuel her dreams. Somewhere along the way, that spark will lead to her roadmap — and hopefully, to her 'one in a billion' moment.
I truly believe we all seek that moment where everything aligns, and we feel: this is it, this is my calling. But you can't get there without trying your hand at a hundred different things. You have to be willing to experiment, to fail, to try again — until you stumble upon that one pursuit that truly ignites your passion.
As parents, our role is to be supportive — to give them space, freedom, and most importantly, respect. You can't turn around and say, 'Why music? Unless you're going to be a world-class singer, how will you ever make money from it?'
As a parent who educates others about wine, how do you educate your kids about alcohol?
Like they say, the children don't learn from what you tell them.
T
hey learn from your actions, not your words. As someone working in the alcoholic beverage industry, particularly in education and consulting, I hope my daughter sees that I am a very moderate consumer of the very beverage I advocate and popularise. I drink responsibly, and I consistently promote moderation, both through my personal choices and my public messaging — whether it's through social media or articles.
You will never really see me drunk because I want my daughter to understand that I'm not an abuser of alcohol, but rather an advocate for moderate, responsible drinking.
My daughter is 16 years old and, of course, she's underage, so I'll be careful in how I choose my words here, but I really do hope that she has her first drink, or first few drinks, in our presence. I don't want to make this a taboo. I'm open with her, in the belief that if I hide nothing from her, she won't feel the need to hide anything from me.
The reality is that at some point, she will try alcohol. India is the third-largest alcohol market in the world. If I make a big fuss about it, chances are she'll end up drinking in secrecy — which is common, but not ideal. I'd rather she be in a safe environment, not vulnerable, not out of control, and certainly not in a situation where she can be taken advantage of. I want her to understand and appreciate alcohol for what it is — and to know how to enjoy it responsibly.
As someone who has an unconventional career, what is your advice for parents who are always looking for safe career choices for their kids?
The whole career landscape has changed so much. I want to tell all parents that your children are seeing a world you have not been exposed to, and they may have a certain line of thinking that is beyond our scope of imagination. So, we must therefore be humble enough to accept that and allow them to experiment and try a few things because who knows what might come out of it. If my parents hadn't allowed me that freedom or bet on me, I wouldn't be where I am.
Allow them to fuel their dreams and give them wings. But equally, allow them to fall back on you if it fails.
If children make a wrong choice, don't respond with, 'If you do this, the doors are closed on you forever.' Don't be dramatic. I think that's one of the worst things a parent can do. Instead, always leave the road open for them to return — to your shelter, care, and protection — especially in moments of failure. That's when they need you the most.
Only then will they be able to refuel themselves into trying something else.
How did your parents react to your unconventional career choice?
My father was extremely supportive of my choice. All he asked me was what does Andrew (Sonal's husband) think of it and when I told him that it was his idea that I pursue a career in the alco-bev industry, he was convinced. My mother, on the other hand, has been a teetotaller all her life and she did not understand my choice at that time. Of course, now she is proud of me, and we laugh about her reservations at that time.
But the fact that I was married to a sensible, older man — not someone my age who had no idea what they were doing with their life — really helped my case.
You have stepkids from your husband's first marriage. How does that shape the family dynamic and does it in any way affect your relationship with your daughter?
W
e are one big happy family who love going on holidays and spending time together. There is no concept of stepkids or stepmother in our family. And that has happened over time and organically. I never forced the kids to get along with me or to accept me as a part of their family.
When I first got introduced to Andrew's children,
Christopher
and Charlotte, they were nine and eight. Now, they are 34 and 33. At that time, they were too young but all I told them was to treat me like their friend and not stepmother. That really helped and over time, our relationship grew organically. During their growing up years, they started coming to me for advice.
It's a beautiful relationship now. Christopher is getting married next month in the UK and in the marriage certificate, he has given two names for mother, his biological mother and mine and that is such a huge honour for me. What more do I say about the relationship?
When it comes to our daughter Rianna, she is fonder of Christopher and Charlotte than me. She tells everyone that she has two other siblings.