“What is Sommelier?” When asked, many people cannot make a correct definition. “Sommelière” is a French word that entered the wine literature. Today it has become an international word to describe a profession.
In the definition of the profession, “Sommelier” has a different meaning than food service personnel: “The service personnel who knows wine well in restaurants, knows and applies the wine service rules, and informs the consumer about the wine-food compatibility.”
Our topic is wine, and the word is originally French. The name 'Sommelière', which was given to the drivers of animals used for cargo transportation in Medieval French, was probably because one of the most important loads was wine, but around the 16th century, it was used for the people responsible for the transportation and storage of wine for the nobles.
The root of the word is 'sagma', which means high saddle in Latin.
What does Sommelier do?
The sommelier tastes wine, chooses the most suitable dishes on the menu; writes the wine menu; makes the pricing; gives orders, follows up; arranges the cellar, makes sure that the wines are stored in suitable conditions; deals with the order, counting and maintenance of wine serving equipment, glasses; During the service, it makes suggestions to the guests in accordance with their choices and serves the selected wine.
However, his/her field of duty is not limited to this. A good sommelier also chooses the right wine for his restaurant and stores it in the cellar under the right conditions.
The word derives from the Latin “Sommarius”. This word, which means “load”, was a name given to people who offered drinks to the king during the reign of King Philip V. The word was actually established in France as a wine service artist in restaurants during the "Belle Epoque" (Beautiful Age) period at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. I must say that Sommelier is not only used for wine. There are "sake sommeliers" in Japan, and "beer sommeliers" in countries such as Germany, Denmark, and Belgium.
“How do you become Sommelier?” is also a frequently asked question. There are various educational practices in this regard in different countries. Although the sommelier program was opened for the first time in 1969 in England, one of the leading countries in this subject, an international certificate program has been opened by the organization called "The Court of Master Sommelier" in London since 1977 and the "Master Sommelier" diploma is given. In the USA, a parallel diploma program has been implemented by the "Court of Master Sommelier America" since 1986. In France, the programs are a little different. There are three important schools in Paris for those who want to study this subject: “Le Cordon Bleu Paris”, “Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Française-Ecole Ferandi” and Institut Paul Bocuse, École de management Hotelslerie, Restauration, Arts culinaires...”