What is a Sommelier?

What is a Sommelier?

A “Somm” is a wine expert or steward who helps select wines for a fine restaurant dining list, works with the executive chef to create wine and food pairings, and helps guests select appropriate choices for the menu items they have selected.  Typically, they are also responsible for wine acquisition and then for managing the wine cellar in the restaurant. 

While they usually work in big city, high-volume, high-priced restaurants, they are expected to earn their salaries. Google lists the top performers in the $75-85,000 salary range. But those salaries come only after decades of work and considerable financial commitment.

Becoming a sommelier is no easy task. To be granted to moniker, most candidates spend years in preparation and invest thousands of dollars in education before they find a job at a top-shelf, white tablecloth restaurant.

Many enroll in the WSET [Wine and Spirit Education Trust].  The Trust is based in London and is highly respected in the international wine community.  They offer a series of WSET-level courses.

Level 1 is an introductory course and is regarded as basic by most serious wine enthusiasts.  Speaking from personal experience, it is interesting but does require some work – and a couple hundred dollars plus a few hours of consternation and a bit of inadequacy before the final grades are announced.

Level 2 provides more in-depth information. One quote I’ve often heard: “Level 2 teaches you what you didn’t know you didn’t know about wine.”  It focuses on 3 different grape varieties and 70 or so growing regions around the world. The cost approaches $700 per person.

Level 3 is designed for wine professionals.  It covers over 100 grape varieties and 150 or more growing regions and scores of hours of study.  It is more costly with a price tag of up to $1000 and several weeks of study and exams.

Level 4 dip [standing for diploma] is a whole different world.  Even with a nearly full-time commitment, it can take up to 3 years to complete, requires considerable travel, and often a coach for guidance to acquire a firm grasp on 6 difficult “modules.’  Beyond the basic cost of $12-1500, tens of thousands of dollars in wine acquisition and travel are required.

Ohio has just a tiny handful of experts, somms and otherwise, who have traveled to London to receive their Level 4 Diploma.  We have several including one in northern Ohio to whom the Ohio industry offers a considerable debt.  

Beyond the WSET program, the Court of Master Sommeliers is another exceptional program the best Sommeliers often pursue. “The Court of Master Sommeliers elevates the quality of beverage service throughout the hospitality industry with peerless credentials…  We chart the course for current and future Master Sommeliers worldwide.”

As noted in the mission statement quoted above, this program focuses on wines but mostly on the art of perfecting customer service and hospitality.  They too offer several levels of certification:  Introductory Course, Certified Sommelier, Advanced Sommelier, and Master Sommelier. The first level alone is usually priced over $800.  Sometimes reaching Level 5 will require a 6-figure investment. As of last year, there were only 172 in the US and a total of 273 wine professionals in the world who have reached the level of Master Sommelier.  

While I am not aware of any Master Sommeliers who help us in the Ohio wine community, Lauren Fiala, WSET4dip, has worked in the area in various positions for almost a decade, and is now at Baci in Geneva.  She has been a great supporter of our state’s industry and contributed many hours at fine dining dinners, presented at state and national conferences, created consumer videos, and helped us in a myriad of other ways.  She is working on the Somm program as this is being written.  Ohio is incredibly lucky to have a wine expert of her stature living and working right here in northern Ohio.  

For additional information:  dwinchell@Ohiowines.org.

[Editorial note:  For a fun movie night soon, with a glass of wine in hand, search the streaming services for the 2012 movie “Somm” which traces the effort of r candidates to pass the Master Somm exam.]