Sommelier Jobs
Restaurants across the world, most importantly the high-end and the five star restaurants, not only offer their clients the best and the most sumptuous foods, but also the most interesting wines that go well with the meals. Every fine restaurant has a sommelier. A sommelier is basically a trained expert in almost all the facets of wine services. Most fine-dining establishments often employ at least a sommelier while the more prestigious restaurants and five-star hotels find it necessary to hire a master sommelier.
Sommelier jobs often include responsibilities for making wine lists, while managing wine storages and purchasing. Likewise, sommelier jobs are also properly coordinating with the executive chef so that a sommelier will know what wines to use that complete the menu of the restaurant. That is why; sommelier jobs are considered equal to the executive chef jobs as far as the development of new tastes and culinary diversities of the restaurant is concerned.
A wine sommelier is also the one that is responsible for spending some time on the restaurant’s floor to interact with its clients. In fact, the best sommeliers are already trained to suggest wines that fall within the budget of the clients, while at the same time, match the clients’ food that has been ordered. One should not confuse a sommelier from a wine waiter because the waiters are not trained to become experts in the wine preparations. If you are asking on how to become a sommelier, there are actually two major factors that need to be considered. The first thing is that, one should have a very great sense of smell and taste. The next factor is that one should have a working knowledge and background in food chemistry.
It is actually a bit difficult when becoming a sommelier because it generally require much study and is somehow quite expensive. There are some sommeliers that obtain the said position based on the extensive work that they have experienced from the wine industry. Though they do not have proper training in wine preparation, they have the “natural instinct” for most wines, thus making them experts on the field of wines. However, most of the professional sommeliers have studied and earned degrees of wine preparations. In fact, aside from the degrees, there is what is called a Master Sommelier certification program that is offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. This sommelier certification involves aspiring sommeliers taking introductory courses before taking lower level exams. From this point, a sommelier certification is already issued. This is actually the point where most students stop. However, there are some that really aim taking the next level, the more advanced courses that will eventually lead to the distinctive Master Sommelier Exams. The final exams actually consist of three core sections. The student is first tested on his abilities of recommending and discussing wines, liqueurs, and cigars. After doing that, the student is then obliged to discuss the different wine regions as well as its corresponding laws. It is also during the second stage where the student is asked to explain about the history of wine and how these wines are made. Finally, on the third stage, it is called the taste test. This particular test aims in testing how a student accurately identifies several types of wines. Aside from that, the student should also be able to identify the origin of the wine, as well as it vintage and it region.
Currently, there are more than a hundred master sommeliers all across the globe. Sommeliers are indeed very helpful in a restaurant. Aside from the fact that they can help the clients identify the types of wines that can go well with a certain meal, there are some sommeliers that give some details about wines to its clients. Not only sommeliers are masters of their own profession, but also they are great ones whom you can learn something from, during your dining out pleasures.