Is a sommelier just an 'affectation in an apron'?

It is time to state the obvious: being a sommelier is not a serious job. It is not a job at all. It is simply affectation in an apron.

The only people interested in a sommelier's services will know much about wine already. They'll be more determined to show off their own knowledge than listen to a wine waiter. Everyone else will go for the second-cheapest on the list, whatever happens.

Anthony Peregrine in The Daily Telegraph - full article here

In my experience, that's certainly not true of the sommeliers in the good restaurants in France. Conversely I have met waitstaff with the title "sommelier" but clearly none of the professional training that ought to go with that title, and for whom "affectation in an apron" is an apt description.

-Paul W.

I think it is fair to say that it's more of an affectation in the U.S. than in Europe.

And that is both a cultural and a professional training aspect.

Until very, very, very recently in the U.S. there simply was no professional track for or appreciation of the actual job of a sommelier/wine steward. So the "title" was often bestowed on people who had no idea what they were doing, and didn't have a specific job description anyway.

Those of us ITB know all too well that for many years the "wine steward" could have previously been a bus boy, a waiter who could speak somewhat intelligently, or someone who was known to "like Chardonnay." Qualifications? We don't need no stinkin' qualifications. There are even some of who, um, perhaps, maybe, were not as qualified as we wanted people to believe and had to subsequently scramble to learn what we needed to know. No fingers, no pointing.

Add to that the hard fact that being a "sommelier" was not always a mark of respect, just an additional job function without any, or little, pay. And that many people got that, ah, distinction, simply because they were only slightly better at that wine stuff than their peers. (Albeit most people who tackled or got saddled with the job tended to learn stuff whether they wanted to or not, and most of them got proud of what they did learn and wanted to know more.)

Sounds to me like Anthony Peregrine should just go to his local chip shop, and maybe stay out of France altogether.

Leaving aside the article, some "sommeliers" are useless. But compared to 10 years ago, in US (at least in bigger cities) there is a splendid cadre of knowledgeable helpful sommeliers. If you're like Peregrine and just want to order the 2nd cheapest wine, or order the Shiraz you recognize from Waitrose to go with your sole, they'll let you. But if you take a chance and listen to advice, you might learn something. First of all, these are the guys who chose the wine, to go with the food. They know the food, they know the wine. One of my best sommelier experiences was after a really bad day. We were at the now-defunct Alto in midtown NYC. I recognized the somm (Levi Dalton) from a previous meal at Convivio. I told him I was a geeky guy with more interest in acids than oak, told him what we were ordering, gave him my modest budget, and pointed out a few wines I liked that I would have ordered without guidance. Then asked him to introduce me to something new. I LOVED the Kuenhof Sylvaner (no chance in hell I would have chosen Sylvaner on my own). Then he gave us each bonus tastes of a bottle of 96 Cotat Cuvee Speciale as he passed, and later showed up with a hefty pour of a Condrieu as he felt maybe Betsy needed something a little heftier with her veal. Made a really nice meal into a meal I'll remember for a decade or two.

Well said, Dale.

Two things:

1.

But if you take a chance and listen to advice, you might learn something.

Yahbut, is there anything that would lead you to believe that Mr. Peregrine is prone to listening to advice from anyone?

3. Levi: he is one of the outstanding ones, isn't he. And those are still rare. I generally appreciate the somms and stewards when I'm dining out and about. Honestly, the only ones I can't take are the smugly pretentious and the ones who know only how to point to the most expensive wine on the list in every category.

Dale`s somm sounds terrific eh.
As an aside I always thought that the sommelier does more than just act as a wine waiter. He/she should be building the wine list and stocks for the future. Maybe not here in America but I can see this role developed over in parts of Europe. Then there is the question of food/wine match-ups to consider as well.

You lucked out when you had Levi choose for you, one of the most knowledgeable people in the business.

Sounds to me like Anthony Peregrine should just go to his local chip shop, and maybe stay out of France altogether.

Quite right! Sadly anti-French and anti-wine articles proliferate in the UK press and are likely to get more common as emotions get whipped up by the approach to an "in-out" referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

Good sommeliers enhance enjoyment of restaurant meals and, for me, have several time led to wine discoveries. They are less common than they should be even in French starred Michelin restaurants, where too many play it safe with a choice limited to well known châteaux and reliable négociants like Jadot, Drouhin, Chapoutier, etc.

Makes me proud that I met Levi Dalton once while at an offline in NYC (I'm pretty sure Dale was also there that night.)

I'm about 50% on my somm experiences. At best, we have an informed conversation about the wines on the list, with a give-and-take about what might best work with our meal and budget. At worst, the "somm" is pushing pedestrian wines using language pinched from a distributor's shelf talker and displays profound ignorance about wine in general and their own list in particular. When I'm in SF or NYC, my odds are considerably higher than when, tragically, I'm in Chicago.

Mark Lipton

In my opinion, a good sommelier listens much more than he/she talks. Hitting me with a few suggestions right of the bat and then giving me time to look over the wine list while hustling off to the next customer seems to be the rule rather than the exception for most somms.

Mark - The sommelier at Telegraph in Chicago is a great listener. Worth a stop next time you are up that way.

Another area where a good somm makes a huge difference is in putting together wine pairings for tasting menus. That's when he or she can really show off both wine knowledge and an exceptional palate. I've only had a handful of such experiences myself, but they've been amazing and I've learned a lot from them.

JC, pretty sure I've never met Levi at an offline, only as a sommelier.

Mike, indeed a good sommelier - knowing both the wines and the food, and having tried different combinations- can make a wine pairing special. That said, I only order pairings if I know the restaurant has a great wine rep. At restaurant without a good somm, I think the tasting pairings are often an overpriced dump of BTG bottlings. But at places like Manresa or aforementioned Convivio, great fun and learning experiences, with pairings I wouldn't have thought of myself.

Dale, I don't think Levi was part of our offline, but came over to our table and maybe offered a pour of something. Perhaps at Triomphe?

I remember the offline at Triomphe (you came late, after a show, brought an excellent Eiswein). But I think that was many years before I ever heard of Levi (not sure he's been in NYC that long)

I do remember Chris Wilford (Triomphe's wine guy) and Alan Uchrincko (sp?) bringing pours from another table

You are right, Dale. Great memory. I came after the Etta James show. Glad I got to see her although she didn't sing some of my favorite songs. It was Alan I was thinking about. Did Levi ever work for Burgundy Wine Company? Or maybe Alan did? I had correspondence with one of them but maybe never met Levi in person.

No idea about Levi Dalton, but Alan U definitely worked for BWC when I casually knew him (haven't seen in years).