What wine should we order', such an apparently simple question that contains multiple answers because it will depend on the moment, the situation, the person's taste, the food, the budget we have... The person in charge of giving us these answers will be the sommelier or sommelier. But, do we really know the work of a sommelier? In the following post we take a closer look at the world of this profession:
Origins and evolution of the Sommelier
The word 'sommelier' comes from the French 'somme' and was already used in the Middle Ages to refer to people who transported produce from the fields using pack animals.
At the Court of King Philip V, the 'sommelier' would become the person in charge of tasting the wine to certify that it was not poisoned.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the work of the 'sommier du seigneur', which consisted of looking after the beverages and food of the lords and their maintenance, began to spread and gain importance at the French court. But it was not until the 19th century that the figure of the 'sommelier' could be related to the world of wine in a way closer to what we know today. In 1972 is when we have knowledge of the first 'sommelier' as we know it today and it will be in Paris, in the restaurant "Le Grande Taberne de Londres". From that moment on, the international projection and the relevance that the 'sommelier' or 'sommelier' (a term coined in Spain) has gained is indisputable and unstoppable.
But what does a sommelier actually do?
Duties of the sommelier
Taking into account its origin and evolution, the sommelier we know today is a wine expert at the service of the clientele to guide and advise them in the choice of a wine, according to their tastes, needs and budget. Yes, that "person in black" that our wine expert friend
Meritxell Falgueras defines as Darth Vader, (as we can see in the following video), that is our friend and ally.
A professional sommelier is a graduate of an internationally recognised programme and will have to keep up to date with the wines on the market and gastronomic trends, a demanding and constantly changing world for which he or she will have to be up to the task.
His extensive and complete training has made the sommelier an essential part of any self-respecting restaurant, capable of performing multiple functions and working in various fields.
In a restaurant
He/she will be in charge of creating the wine list; of giving appropriate advice to the client; of uncorking the wines, respecting the time required for tasting and serving them; he/she will also be responsible for the wine cellar and consequently for the appropriate conditions (humidity, light, temperature, etc.) for their perfect conservation; he/she will control the stock; he/she will also be responsible for training the wait staff in everything related to the service of wine.
Other functions
Specialised writer, wine critic, consultant, educator, maître d', can conduct private tastings and tastings, etc.
As we can see, this is a very complete and versatile profile, which sometimes leads to confusion with the figure of the oenologist, and although wine is the link between the two, the functions of an oenologist are different, as he or she is directly responsible for the entire winemaking process in a winery, from the selection of the vineyards to their commercialisation.
But do we value the figure of the sommelier or do we only turn to him in case of doubt? Where does his success lie? In addition to customer satisfaction, the sommelier's success lies in each bottle he or she uncorks, because it is a thoughtful and careful choice, adapted to the wishes of the person waiting, but above all his or her success is found in each finished bottle, because as Meritxell tells us, "if we like a bottle, we always finish it".
Featured image: OneArmedMan
