By: Amit Kothiyal
Submitted: 2011-06-01 04:01:26 | Word Count: 545
Many people wrongly think that a Sommelier is just a wine taster. In actual fact they are much more than this; they are both the wine steward and have the responsibility of over-seeing a restaurant's wine. The title is non-gender specific and these people know quite literally everything there is to know about wine. They know the difference between all the different types of wine, what wine goes with what food, how to properly organize a cellar, all the basics of wine stock rotation and how to properly serve the wine.
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The word 'Sommelier' comes from the French and historically belongs to wine butlers who were employed by families from royalty. Nowadays, a Sommelier works in restaurants, mainly in high-end establishments. On a daily basis a Sommelier will work with the chef to develop the restaurant's wine list so that it compliments the menu. A Sommelier is the front line of contact to patrons of the restaurant therefore, a lot of the duties they will carry out involve a great deal of customer service. For example, they may be required to train staff on proper wine serving etiquette and technique as well as teaching basic wine knowledge to novices.
Most of the Sommelier's more important duties will take place in the front of house, liaising with clientele and serving the wine. The Sommelier is the person that patrons will go to if they have any questions about wine choice and they expect to receive feedback that is well-informed and sensitive to the patrons budget, preferences and dining choices. However, at the same time as having an important public persona, a Sommelier also has an important job to do behind the scenes. They are in charge of the cellar; keeping it in order and controlling the wine storing atmosphere for optimum taste and quality.
When it comes to becoming a Sommelier, there are various levels you can achieve. You can be a certified Sommelier, a Master of Wine or even a Master Sommelier. A Master of Wine is generally thought of being a lower level of qualification than a Master Sommelier. A Master of Wine qualification tends to focus more on academic and learning wine theory, rather than wine service whereas a Master of Sommelier takes a more hands-on approach to the wine industry.
In terms of qualifications, you can take either the Institute of Masters of Wine (MoW) or the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS); both programs require a lot of tastings and a final examination. Even though there are professional degree programs out there for you to undertake there are actually no legal requirements to be being a Sommelier. If you don't want to take a formal qualification you can learn on the job at a wine retailer, become a waiter at a fancy restaurant or just learn from an expert. There are also many community colleges that offer wine education programs that you can enroll on.
Most Sommeliers will recommend a combination of practical experience with some sort of formal education in order to get the best results.
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