GatewayGourmet Blog

One of the many specialty courses offered at top culinary schools is sommelier training, or wine stewardship. From a professional standpoint, becoming a Sommelier (with a capital letter) is akin to becoming a Chef (with a capital letter). It’s a designation that doesn’t come easily, and it requires years of training and experience, as well as a certification, to acquire the illustrious tastevin to wear around the neck.

What a Sommelier Does

A Sommelier is basically the individual in a restaurant in charge of ordering, storing, rotating, recommending, pairing, and serving wine. Due to the high-end nature of a Sommelier’s job, positions tend to be very rare and hard to come by, even when the professional has the education and experience to back up his or her skills.

The Sommelier is often considered a “wine manager” of sorts. He or she is responsible for training the wait staff on proper pouring and serving techniques, oftentimes going so far as to host wine sampling meetings that introduce the cooks and waiters to the varying wines so as to better serve the customers as a whole.

How Sommeliers and Chefs Work Together

It has long been understood that a good wine can be paired with a dish, making the flavors bolder and better, according to the undertones and quality of the wine. Chefs who work in fine dining restaurants often have some sort of formal culinary training regarding the pairing of wine and food, since they are catering to a clientele that will almost always order the two together.Along those same lines, many Sommeliers have attended culinary classes, if only to understand how the cooking process affects food flavors and the eating experience.

At present, there are two primary types of formal Sommeliers: Master Sommeliers (MS) and Masters of Wine (MW). The MS designation is a lot like a top Chef who doesn’t go to culinary school, instead learning on the job and through intense self-directed study and mentorships, while the MW is someone who takes a more formally academic route at one of the few locations offering the course. In both cases, it requires quite a bit of dedication; there are fewer than 400 MWs and MSs in the entire world.

Culinary School and Wine Training

If you plan on getting a culinary education, it’s not required that you take a wine course, but you may find that it’s a great boost to your resume. Knowledge of all food items – including beverages – can go a long way in making you more marketable as a culinary professional.