Summing Up Somming
Being a sommelier is not always so very glamorous, despite what one might think. Images of wine experts pouring wines, swilling rare and expensive juice, and leading a rather luxurious lifestyle certainly come to mind for most.
Some of this is true, but there’s so much more to this particular skillset. Funnily enough, there’s a great misconception that you need to have taken a formal test to authenticate one’s abilities to serve wine, but much as a chef doesn’t need to go to school to wear their whites and be addressed as Chef, the same is true of being a sommelier – so if anyone is considering a career change, let this be your sign….!
Some Somms I’ve encountered labored in the hospitality industry for years, honed their skills and spent sizable amounts of hard-earned money to take the tests to find themselves recognized and valued for their efforts. And then there are those who have that innate instant recall, and the somewhat unusual ability of the extraordinary deductive skills that allow them to blind taste a wine and say absolutely certainly the vintage, provenance and vineyard/winery.
Attaining that skillset is really ALL about deduction: You can generally tell by the color of a wine what the varietal might be. From there, the nose will give you a clearer understanding. Some aromas are specifically linked to certain grapes. Cherry for Pinot Noir, say, or perhaps ripe plum in Cabernet Sauvignon, salinity in Sauvignon Blanc… And then the actual taste should give the sommelier everything they need to know to finish the puzzle. I distinctly recall a blind tasting after much merriment following a Central Coast Wine Classic dinner as my friend Bernie absolutely nailed the rather unusual wine that someone else had brought along to stump the crowd. After having explained his logical process, he further told us that he recalled having had that wine at a dinner some three or four years previously, and he even remembered the dish he had. Some people just have it!
Dining out, and confronted by a hefty wine list, and the warning: Your sommelier will be right with you? Don’t fret! There is really no reason to be intimidated. You know roughly what you like yes? Then let the sommelier know, as well as what you’re having to eat. A good sommelier will work with you based upon the criteria, as well as the price point. When I have been a wine director or sommelier and working with guests, I would almost always scroll down the page with my fingertip, and specifically down the prices. “Based upon what you like and what you’re eating, how does this look to you?” I’d also sometimes even vocalize the actual winery name so there’d be no confusion.
I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the greatest sommeliers in the world, poured most of the greatest wines ever made, and tasted food created by almost every single major chef one can think of. There have definitely been some hits and misses, but thankfully more moments of great elation and unadulterated joy. I feel I have led a truly blessed life and have made innumerable friendships with those folks share in the love of wine. Cheers!
