A diner walks into a tony high-end restaurant with his date and the waiter presents the wine book and departs. Not a wine list, but a whole book devoted to wine; including names he can’t pronounce and wine regions he’s never heard about. His date is looking at him expectantly for what wine to order, but now he can’t even remember her favorite wine. Perhaps intuiting his discomfiture someone comes to the table, a silver cup secured around the neck, and asks, “Can I be of service, sir?” The diner has been issued a reprieve by the sommelier, and all he has to do is ask, “What would you recommend to go with Steak Diane?” The pressure is off and his date, who knows more about wine than he does, doesn’t have to intercede.
Fine-dining restaurants often employ a sommelier to handle many, if not all, wine duties. While waiters at these restaurants may also possess knowledge of the wine list and can offer wine advice, it is the sommelier that is trained for that job. Not all sommeliers wear the silver tasting cup or tastevin, but their confidence with wine makes them instantly recognizable.
The Court of Master Sommeliers, (CMS) established in 1977, is an independent examining body that offers four levels of expertise with wine and wine service. There are many organizations involved in wine education and certification, but CMS is the largest and most respected. The North American Sommelier Association (NASA) is another organization that provides sommelier certification (This NASA has nothing to do with space exploration. It’s all about wine exploration.)
A first level sommelier is not a certified sommelier. That requires level two or above. A level one student attends an intensive two-day class given by Master Sommeliers, followed by a 70-question written exam. Candidates learn the CMS Deductive Tasting Method and taste and evaluate several wines during the class. The class reviews the world of wine, wine laws, viticulture and even beer, Sake and spirits. Significant preparation assures success and years of wine service are recommended, but not required, to gain a diploma.
Above level two are an executive sommelier (level three) and finally, the master sommelier (level four). The advanced exams are harder to pass that a state bar exam. There are currently around 236 master sommeliers worldwide, attesting to the difficulty of reaching this level of wine mastery.
A high-end restaurant that prides itself on its wine cellar might employ a certified sommelier, but most fine-dining establishments only require a level one diploma. The sommelier’s duties can include making up the wine list, ordering the wine and managing the wine cellar, working with the chef to provide wines that pair well with the cuisine, training the wait staff and even waiting tables and busing when necessary. Making wine recommendations is perhaps the easiest part of the job, but a good sommelier elevates the quality and service of a restaurant.
Even wine-savvy diners should avail themselves of a “somm” as they are sometimes called. A good one knows the entire wine list and what wines pair well with menu entrées. They are happy to make suggestions and most will even steer a diner away from a higher-priced wine if a less expensive one pairs better with the food. The sommelier is there to make the diner’s experience exceptional.
A master sommelier demonstrates proper technique
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