In the common sense, the sommelier is the one who, having a good knowledge of the wine product, has the task of tasting and judging the wines, then serving them to the guests in the hall. In fact, while having culture and tasting as common ground, the taster and the sommelier are two different professional figures covering different functions: the taster deals exclusively with testing the wine by giving a technical judgment and an evaluation regarding the quality; the sommelier tastes and analyzes wine, but then deals with all those activities that concern the contact with the public, or presentation and service at the table, and especially the matching with the courses.
So if we can consider a taster as a technical wine specialist, the sommelier identifies more with the figure of a good communicator, and as such a good seller, capable of describing wine as effectively as well as accurate.
The work of the sommelier is divided into two phases: the first, more defilated, behind the scenes, concerns the management of the cellar; The second protagonist, in the hall, is explicit in direct contact with the public. The restaurant’s sommelier cares for the cellar, which is responsible, selecting and evaluating the assortment of wines, which will be carefully chosen based on the restaurant’s personality and its culinary delights.
Together with the owner or manager, will proceed with the purchase of wines and sparkling wines, taking into account the budget and the style of the restaurant. Therefore, it will take care of realizing and updating the wine card, its main selling tool. A good sommelier should also carry out a scouting activity and then look for new wine productions to be presented to guests to enrich their taste experience, “educating” them and guiding them in a path of continuous discovery.
An important part of the sommelier’s work takes place, as we have anticipated, in the hall and in direct contact with the public. He is dedicated to serving wine (exclusively and exclusively wine, never water or other drinks) to guests.
Once the customer has chosen the label, the sommelier must open the bottle in front of the guests with olfactory verification and tasting; After which he has to taste the wine in the most experienced guest and, following his approval, serve it to all guests according to the rules and the due elegance.
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