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The sommelier knife is an important tool of the sommelier.

A sommelier (pronounced /sʌməlˈjeɪ/, French pronunciation: [sɔməlje]), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service. The role is more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter.

[edit]Description

The principal work of a sommelier is in the area of wine procurement, storage, wine cellar rotation, and to provide expert advice to customers.^[1]

A sommelier may also be responsible for the development of wine lists,^[1] and for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item. This entails the necessity for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony. It could be argued that the role of a sommelier in fine dining today is strategically on par with that of the executive chef or chef de cuisine. A professional sommelier also works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron.

In modern times, a sommelier's role may be considered broader than working only with wines, and may encompass all aspects of the restaurant's service, with an enhanced focus on wines, beers, spirits, soft-drinks, cocktails, mineral waters, and tobaccos.

The tastevin vessel associated with sommeliers in the past.

[edit]Etymology

The modern word is French. It derives from Middle French where it referred to a court official charged with transportation of supplies.^[2] This use of the term dates to a period when pack animals would be used to transport supplies. The Middle French probably finds its origin in Old Provençal where a saumalier was a pack animal driver^[2]. Sauma referred to a pack animal or the load of a pack animal. In Late Latin, sagma referred to a packsaddle.^[2]

[edit]Education and certification

Though sommelier is a job title potentially anyone may claim, becoming a certified sommelier requires classes and an examination.^[3] The certification is offered by a wide range of educators, and a basic education may be attained for $800–3,750 over the course of six months.^[3]

The Court of Master Sommeliers, established in 1977, is the examining body for the Master Sommelier Diploma, the Advanced Sommelier Certificate, the Certified Sommelier Certificate, and the Introductory Sommelier Certificate, and was created under the supervision of the Vintners Company, The Institute of Masters of Wine, The British Hotels & Restaurants Association, The Wine & Spirit Association of Great Britain and The Wholesale Tobacco Trade Association.^[4] The Court also offers an intermediate level of Education titled "Advanced Sommelier Course" which invites carefully selected candidates to sit and be both tested and educated in the rigors of the Master Sommelier program. The course is generally offered 2-3 times per year and acceptance is highly controlled. Often candidates will apply for 3-4 years before being offered a position. The course is extreme in its preparation and testing for potential Masters Candidates. The Guild of Sommeliers is a nonprofit membership organization, created by a group of Master Sommeliers, to support the development of the trade.

[edit]Master Sommelier

Since the Master Sommelier Diploma was introduced in 1969, 171 people from around the world had become Master Sommeliers by 2009.^[4] Of these there were 74 active Master Sommeliers in the Americas, 25 in Europe, with a female contingent of 12, all based in the U.S.^[4] By 2008, the diploma had been awarded to 167 professionals world wide since its inception, 96 of these from North America, of which 15 were women.^[5]

In France a few top catering schools offer a Sommelier's Diploma which is regarded as the basic for French Sommeliers.