Sommelier famine in New York City.

Jancis Robinson and I have been discussing the 1986 Chablis, and a dinner we attended at Montrachet in 2001. She added this note to our Purple Page exchange. An opportunity for folks here?


I got an email from poor Daniel [Johannes] saying they are now short of two sommeliers at Daniel, that New York seems to be bereft of good sommeliers and that with great regret they have decided to cancel all wine dinners this fall so as not to put undue strain on the depleted team.

Here's how he describes the sommelier famine: "We have lost another sommelier at Daniel. We are now two short and looking nationwide, in France, Canada and anywhere else. The sommelier department is seriously stressed. It seems every restaurant in NY is looking – Per Se, Ducasse, Alto, Le Bernardin (although, I think they just got someone from Atlanta), Danube and a few others. Bouley just hired one of our guys."

Regards, Bob

So is that a function of Nyc or the business in general?

Is that because the salaries are not very good and people are trying to get into other aspects of the wine business with more potential for financial upside?

Good questions, I don't know but I'll ask around.