We’ve all been there. You sit down at an important dinner maybe with family and friends or even a business client. It’s an up market restaurant with a fairly impressive wine list, encyclopedic even, and everyone at the table is looking at you to provide them with the perfect bottle of wine. But no pressure, right?
Now don’t despair! A lot of up market restaurants have a sommelier whose job is to help you navigate the wine list and find that perfect bottle. So what is a sommelier? Essentially a sommelier (or somm for short) is a wine waiter, someone trained in the understanding and service of wine, skilled at helping you make the right wine choice.
The term sommelier (pronounced suh-mal-‘yAy) is French and refers to someone who has extensive experience with wine service and/or a qualification from one of the wine education bodies, the most prestigious being the Court of Master Sommeliers. You can often identify their qualifications by the pin on their lapel (example below).
So how can a sommelier get you more wine confident? They can make wine suggestions to go with particular types of food, based on their knowledge of wine pairing. They will also suggest wines based on your taste preferences.So don’t be afraid to ask for their recommendations. And don’t feel obliged, they won’t be offended if you don’t take their suggestion. Also don’t be shy to indicate your budget as this will help guide them in which wines to recommend.
Having said that I did have an interesting experience with a sommelier at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in France. The wine list was over an inch thick and everything was really expensive so I asked the sommelier for a ‘budget friendly’ wine. He sort of laughed and walked off. I’m not sure if it was a language thing or a French thing but we eventually sorted it out and enjoyed a deliciously affordable bottle that matched our meals and palates perfectly.
Whilst the odd somm might come across as a wine snob, just to put your mind at ease I can tell you I’m currently doing wine my diploma with a number of sommeliers and they’re all down to earth people who are passionate about sharing good wine and having a good time … they also enjoy a drink or two as well.
So the next time you are at a restaurant that has a sommelier say “Hi” and explain what sort of wine you are looking for. They will love helping you and it will help enhance the evening for you and your guests too.
If you would like to found out more about how to navigate a wine list then have a look at our event coming up on the 19th of February. You won’t be disappointed.
Cheers,
Antony.
