r/Sommelier

Hi! I’m 42 and I’ve been doing human resources for 13 years. I have a liberal arts degree and have completed quite a bit of graduate coursework (no Master’s).

I’m pretty unhappy in my administrative career. I’ve always had a creative streak, and I would love to pursue something that helps me develop my ability to create sensory experiences for others.

I really enjoy working with people. I have a lot of experience with events, both personally and professionally. My friends and I love to do rotating dinner parties. A good friend asked me to put together the charcuterie table for her wedding two years ago because she likes my palate. (My dad recently published a very well received cookbook focusing on international cuisine, so I think my love for sensory experiences comes from him.)

In addition to this, I have a side hustle making natural perfume, an aspect of my life that I really love. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and I’m building my business into something larger with broader distribution.

I’ve been considering enrolling in formal perfumery and sommelier training and education, and seeking part-time work as a tasting room host because I think it would supplement my income while I build my perfume business. Additionally, I think the two would be complementary with each other. (I’d never wear perfume in the tasting room, of course.) I have a good knack for using descriptors when talking about fragrance materials, so I think this would translate well into the wine world.

I love the idea of greeting customers, recommending pairings, coordinating small parties and events for them, discussing the nuanced facets of different wines, their histories, the types of varietals, etc.

Do you think this would be a good career move? I realize that I would be giving up weekends and evenings, and I also realize that it will never pay as much money as I’m currently earning. That said, I’m miserable, and money isn’t everything.

Thank you for your thoughts!

EDIT: thanks all; TONS of helpful considerations!
- I’ve worked in hospitality (was a barista) but it’s been a long, long while. I’ve also got lots of customer service experience from before I did HR.
- Good to know some of you don’t think the training/certs are required.
- I’d want to work in a tasting room at a winery, not a restaurant or bar. There’s a winery a mile from our house in Oregon’s Willamette Valley (Pinot Noir country!) that we’re members of and we support often, so maybe I’ll start there to learn how one gets involved.

Appreciate y’all.

I’m currently a sommelier but until February of last year I had been serving for a long time.

Tonight was an absolute shit show. I work at a nice upscale place, not quite fine dining but close. It’s in a trendy area of NYC, and we are the flagship restaurant for my hospitality group.

We were understaffed and I honestly feel embarrassed about the service we provided tonight.

For a lot of these moms this was probably the one gift they were getting from their family: a nice meal out. And it felt like we had a hand tied behind our backs being understaffed.

They’ve been doing this staggered in time thing, to save on labor costs. So for the first 30-40mins of service most of the servers were on break. So it was me (the somm) and the two new managers taking tables, while also grabbing bottles for tables and doing my somm thing. It was a lot.

And of course because it’s Mother’s Day, the first turn at 5pm is the busiest! Last week I warned upper management that they should staff today differently because of this, and they didn’t listen.

On top of it all, the kitchen wasn’t keeping up and ticket times for entrees were like 45mins-1hr. And because as a somm, I’m dressed like a manger in a blazer, every table was flagging me down to complain (I may be dressed nice, but I’m an hourly employee and in the tip pool at the same exact rate as the servers).

I was a somm, server and manager lite tonight and it just sucked. These moms deserved a better night out, and I feel crappy that I couldn’t make it happen.

Hi everybody,

I’ve worked in fine dining for nearly a decade now. The place I work now, in Miami, is very well esteemed and respected. I have recently been asked to take on the role of the restaurants sommelier - by title only, not certification. Though, CMS level 1 soon to come and eventually level 2.

I have been training with the somms at our sister restaurant in the same location, in the same building. The sister restaurant is much higher esteemed than the one I’m working at. These guys are the real deal. They know almost everything there is to know. After my training with them ended I felt like there could be a lot more for me to learn. They’re great guys, but when service gets busy it’s hard to walk a trainee through every single thing or even talk about theory. I’m planning on consulting with them once or twice a week to talk about & taste what new wines they’re pouring btg and for pairings and to talk more about theory. The two restaurants actually share a cellar but I will be the only somm in the restaurant that I work in.

Every day I’m reading books, taking notes and searching the internet to understand wine more. I’d like to taste more wine on my free time though and understand more about how to identify aromas and palate.

To all sommeliers: what are your best pieces of advice to someone just starting out? Any particular books or resources that you used to start out? Any major advice? What’s the best app to find notes about wines on the fly? Do any Miami somms have any advice for where to go and how to taste a wider variety of wines? Is anybody looking for a new wine friend & mentee? Hahaha

Thank you!

And i dont know how to feel. I served wine to the head of orthodox christianity, Bartholomeow. I served wine to the head of catholic christianity, Pope Leo. I did not come from a christian background and i am an atheist.

I dont know how should i feel and i dont know if there is someone else who has shared the same feeling as i did.

Thanks

Has anyone here used the Falcork 354 in professional service?

I’ve been looking for a new waiter’s corkscrew and came across the Falcork 354. On paper it looks solid, but I’d really like to hear from people who have actually used it during service.

How does it compare to a Pulltap’s or a Laguiole in terms of:

1. durability
2. ease of opening older corks
3. foil cutter quality
4. hinge/leverage feel
   and overall comfort during a long shift?

Would you recommend it for restaurant or is it more of a niche/tool-collector kind of opener?

Hi everyone! Next week I’m traveling to London to take the CMS introductory course. The dress code is listed as smart casual, but for the practical exam it specifies that we should wear a work uniform.

I emailed to ask what exactly that means, and they told me to “wear what you currently use at work.”

The situation is the following:

1. I’m not currently working in the industry.
2. I live in Paris, where most bars and wine bars are quite casual and the staff usually wear jeans and sneakers (excluding higher-end places).
3. I’m a woman, I don’t have a suit

So I’m honestly not sure what I should wear.

Could anyone who has taken the course tell me what they wore for the exam, or what the rest of the group typically wore?

Any help would be really appreciated! Thank you!!