Sommelier
A sommelier, chef de vin or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the sommelier in fine dining today is much more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter. Sommeliers Australia states that the role is strategically on par with that of the chef de cuisine.
Description
A sommelier may be responsible for the development of wine lists and books and for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item.In modern times, a sommelier's role may be considered broader than working only with wines, and may encompass all aspects of the restaurant's service, with an enhanced focus on wines, beers, spirits, soft-drinks, cocktails, mineral waters, and tobaccos. The role of sommelier is usually taken on by a maître d'hôtel when no sommelier is employed.
Etymology
The modern word is French, deriving from Middle French where it referred to a court official charged with transportation of supplies. This use of the term dates to a period when pack animals would be used to transport supplies. The Middle French probably finds its origin in Old Provençal where a saumalier was a pack animal driver. Sauma referred to a pack animal or the load of a pack animal. In Late Latin, sagma referred to a packsaddle.This phenomenon illustrates how a prestigious title could give rise to lesser positions sharing the same generic name. Due to the influence of Philip the Handsome's court on that of the Catholic Monarchs, a duplication of official titles occurred at a certain point. Regarding wine, the camarero de vinos eventually evolved into sumiller, a term that remains the Spanish equivalent of sommelier.
Education and certification
Though sommelier is a job title potentially anyone may claim, becoming a professional certified sommelier often requires some combination of experience, training, formal education, classes and examinations.The Court of Master Sommeliers
The Court of Master Sommeliers, established in 1977, is an independent examining body that offers the Master Sommelier Diploma, the Advanced Sommelier Certificate, the Certified Sommelier Certificate, and the Introductory Sommelier Certificate. It was created under the supervision of the Worshipful Company of Vintners, the Institute of Masters of Wine, the British Hotels & Restaurants Association, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association of Great Britain, and the Wholesale Tobacco Trade Association. Since the Master Sommelier Diploma was introduced in 1969, a total of 249 people from around the world had become Master Sommeliers by the end of 2017.National Wine School
The National Wine School is a U.S.–based wine education and certification body founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. It offers a five-level professional curriculum, including the Level III Sommelier Certification and the Level IV Advanced Sommelier Certification.Independent reviewers describe NWS as emphasizing U.S. educational-standards compliance. According to the wine-education review site SOMM.us, the school "was developed to deal with the structural deficits inherent in the British-owned certification agencies" and is "fully compliant in the state they are located in … and require their affiliate schools to be regionally accredited colleges and universities". The same review characterizes NWS as "a good option if you want a rock-solid professional wine trade certification" and notes that its online program "is the best online sommelier course available today".