A certified sommelier has completed wine-related courses and passed a certification exam. They work in restaurants, advising diners, creating wine lists, and training staff. Certification programs are offered by various organizations and require tuition and fees. A college degree is not required. Sommeliers can advance to master sommelier and compete in competitions. They perform their services in full view of restaurant patrons, presenting and opening wine bottles and decanting wine.
While someone can claim to be a sommelier, a certified sommelier is an individual who has successfully completed a series of wine-related courses over approximately six months and achieved a passing grade on the certification exam. A certified sommelier can undergo additional training and eventually become a master sommelier, a grand sommelier, or a wine master. A sommelier typically works in a restaurant that offers a wide range of wines and may be responsible for wine and food pairing, advising diners, training staff in the art of wine delivery and service, creating the wine list, stocking and maintaining the winery .
Sommelier certification programs are offered by many different organizations and professional schools, and all courses and exams require tuition and fees. Programs are generally divided into beginner and advanced levels, and employers can pay tuition and fees on behalf of their future sommeliers. Courses often include many taste tests, but students also learn about the history of winemaking. Additional topics include where major grape varieties are grown, key wine vocabulary such as terroir and rootstock, how harvesting affects flavor, quality customer service, the importance of barrels, classic pairing of food and wine and the identification of good glasses of wine.
Once a potential Certified Sommelier successfully completes a wine education or sommelier program, they can take a certification exam. Certification exams vary between programs and institutions, but most include a series of written questions, blind tests, and an evaluation of customer service. Once a sommelier completes the basic certification process, he or she may apply for admission to an advanced program such as that offered by the Tribunal of Master Sommeliers. The Tribunal, a highly regarded international professional organization of sommeliers, offers a master sommelier degree that only around 200 people have earned to date.
A college degree is not required to enroll in a wine education or sommelier certification program. Complementary business and foreign language courses can help a certified sommelier excel. A certified sommelier’s career typically begins with a period of apprenticeship under a more experienced sommelier before advancing to the position of head sommelier in a restaurant or group of restaurants. Sommeliers are often required to visit vineyards around the world and many compete in sommelier competitions involving written exams and blind tastings.
Most of the services of a certified sommelier are usually performed in public and in full view of the restaurant’s patrons. Once a restaurant has selected a wine, the certified sommelier presents the bottle prior to corking to ensure there are no errors. The wine is then opened and customers can offer the cork before decanting, if requested. Wines are often decanted to remove any sediment and introduce more air into the wine.
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