What does a sommelier do all day?
Also known as a wine steward, a sommelier evaluates and recommends wines from a restaurant’s wine list for customers, based on the customer’s food choice and budget. Every wine sommelier’s job is a little different. Some sommeliers also act as beverage directors, ordering wines and working with the head chef to develop food-and wine pairings. Many maintain a restaurant’s wine cellar, and some travel extensively to vineyards in the US and abroad, sampling and evaluating new and different kinds of wines for purchase. In restaurants, a sommelier may also decant and serve wine to customers.
What do you have to do to get this job?
Many experts recommend a combination of formal study — taking courses or a program in wine studies — and practical experience, such as working as a waiter or maitre d’ in a restaurant where fine wines are served. Those with several years’ of food-and-wine service experience may take a series of courses and examinations offered by the Master Court of Sommeliers. Their designation of Master Sommelier takes several years and four levels of exams to achieve.
What kind of cash are we talking about here?
While a sommelier starting out may only earn about $30,000 per year, after a few years of experience and expertise, salaries increase dramatically. A veteran sommelier working in a top restaurant with an extensive wine list can earn well over $100,000 a year.
OK, tell me the bad part.
This is not an easy business to break into — you won’t just take a few weekend courses and land a job as a sommelier at a four-star restaurant. Expect to start at the bottom, spending a few years studying, serving and learning about wine.
What’s the upside?
For a wine connoisseur, this job is fascinating and fun. An experienced sommelier can earn an excellent salary and spend each day doing what he or she loves: sharing a love of wine.
— Claudia Gibson