Do you believe that the role of a sommelier is no longer required in modern culture?

Question

As a sommelier myself, I find that some restaurateurs feel that the staff should all have sufficient knowledge of the food, drinks and tobaccos to service the customers' requirements, whilst some feel that a sommelier is essential for the smooth running of the service and satisfaction of the clients. I currently work for a wine supplier, rather than on a restaurant floor, where I find my training is equally applicable. What do you consider to be the arguments for and against having sommeliers in restaurants.

Thank you all for the excellent answers so far, but let me expand:

As I was trained, a sommelier is expected to have a knowledge of the wines, beers, spirits, liqueurs, soft-drinks, cocktails, cigars, the service protocol and doctrine and also be familiar and capable with the food preparation (ie. my colleagues and I had to be at least partly trained as chefs too). Surely this makes ME a 'jack of all trades' and perhaps better replaced by a team with individual specialities (or perhaps a computer program [lol]).

(Or perhaps I should be demanding a payrise!)

Answer 1

A sommelier is indispensable in any self-respecting establisment. Thinking that you can get by with serving staff that has been trained in a general but not in any specific fashion is as ridiculous as expecting a first- aider to perform heart surgery. It is not just the guiding of the clients once they have stated their preferences, it is also the advice to hotel or restaurant owners who may know very little about crus, years, etc..and not have the ability to pick good wines, fairly priced and likely to appeal to or please the palate of both experts and greenhorns.
Mind you, there are good and bad sommeliers. We have seen a wide assortment over the years and have had the pleasure of meeting winners of the "Meilleur sommelier de France" award. They had charming and self- effacing manners and really cared about the wine they served or recommended, and the satisfaction of their customers. Bottles deemed unsatisfactory where whisked off without argument or batting an eyelid. Let's face it , there are the odd bad bottles even in excellent wines.

We also have met some who were trying to get rid of mediocre bottles assuming that the customer will not know the difference, those who despised locally produced wines for grands crus, one particular female sommelier in the Dordogne who was arrogant, prejudiced and pushy, one male in Belgium who only served half of a very expensive bottle.Our best experience was at Chabran where we ordered a reasonably priced bottle of a relatively young wine and noticed that the businessmen on the next table had bought the same wine but considerably older and extremely expensive. They left half of the bottle, as it was lunch time and they clearly needed a clear head for the afternoon. We asked the sommelier if we could have a sip to see the difference. The wine was exquisite and seeing our faces, the kind man instead of whisking the bottle away and keeping it for himself, just gave us the rest of the bottle. He really made our day!
We do dislike the pompous sort that talk down to customers as if they were simple, even though their recommendation is good. We are not keen on those that pull a taster cup out of their pocket and sample the wine generously before serving it. We appreciate those who also have a real knowledge of the food being ordered so that they will guide you towards the best suited wine to go with it. A charming, knowledgeable, tactful and courteous sommelier makes all the difference.

Answer 2

I find it ridiculous that a server would be expected to have the knowledge of a sommelier. This may work if there is a very limited and boring wine list, say at a chain restaurant. In an establishment with a large cellar to choose from, the years of training and tasting of a proper wine master, a true sommelier are needed and desired.

Answer 3

All the above answers are excellent, so I'll attempt to be brief. I must first make the point that all of those who answer (myself included) are self selected "wine afficionados" to some degree, so probably don't reflect the average punter.

From the customers viewpoint, the sommelier can offer two great advantages;

1. Advise on wine choice based on food selections
2. Advise on wine choice based on other wine preferences, eg, the customer who usuall drinks Napa Valley wines could be guided to a wine they will find to their taste if they are in a restaurant with the emphasis on French wines.

From the restaurant's point of view, the sommelier can chose a wine list with balance in terms of cost/value and matching the cuisine of the establishment.

You can see that I support the role, but there are more Bacardi Breezers sold than good cabernets, so I don't know how the economic arguement stacks up.

Answer 4

I've seen some great answers already so I'll keep this short. I think a sommelier is an absolutely essential part of any restaurant that wants to be taken seriously. I think it is unfair for a maître d' or a server to be expected to be able to recommend a pairing, and it is equally unfair for the patrons that are spending their money to not have a truly professional opinion. I believe many restaurant owners only see the bottom line when it comes to sommeliers, and neglect to see the true value of a well trained, professional wine steward.

Answer 5

I like having a Sommelier in a restaurant because they usually know a version of the wine you choose which is better. For instance if you usually like a Sancerre for example, they will know which are the better years and possibly a different type of wine which they know you will like. I have also found that they don't always recommend the most expensive wine. In fact once I chose an expensive wine and the sommelier said that this other wine was better and cheaper - he was right.

The only drawback I have found is once there was a restaurant which was not busy. The waiter, the maitre 'd and the sommelier hovered around our table constantly doing things and not letting us have a conversation, this was very annoying.

Answer 6

I strongly disagree. Some of my most memorable meals have been enhanced with the assistance of a sommelier.

Unfortunately, I think most people are intimidated to use the service of a sommelier due to the incorrect assumption that they will be forced in to buying the most expensive wines on the list.

By telling the sommelier your meal selections, preference for wines and the budget you would like to spend, they will generally find you gems on their wine list you would have never considered.

In the proper style of restaurant, a good sommelier should be able to justify their own existence both through increased wine sales and the ability to maximize turn over on inventory.

Answer 7

No. I think that the role of Sommelier is very important in a restaurant. You have done a lot of training and research for your job and understanding what wines complement different foodstuffs is very important, but i feel that you should also have training in the preparation of foods i.e. being a chef, so that you understand the scientific value and breakdown of foods and how they interact with them, otherwise I feel that some sommeliers only advise what they like in relation to what they recommend to the customer.

Answer 8

Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind. I think it is important for people to have specialist knowledge in certain areas, and I think this is one of the times when it is needed to help a restaurant run smoothly. In my experience, other staff just don't have the knowledge to really recommend the correct wine. The house wine just isn't good enough - I want something that will enhance my meal greatly :)
Too bad I can't drink any more :(

Answer 9

People who enjoy good wine value the services of an expert. Unfortunately, an increasing number of alcohol users do so in order to pass out and might as well be drinking surgical spirit.