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Wine consultant and internationally respected wine broker
Judy Beardsall
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SOMMELIER KIND ..
I want to free you from the worst effects of a sommelier. "Sommelier" is a French word meaning wine waiter or wine steward who is supposed to be knowledgeable about wine and gifted in leading you to the best wine choice for your money. They are mostly responsible for buying the wine for the restaurant, tasting it, and being accountable to the restaurant for making money on their wine by smart pricing. Some upscale restaurants hire a sommelier who should be able enough to solve all your wine-ordering worries. Sommeliers are totally distinct from waiters.
A great sommelier can contribute a great wine experience to your dining out. A pompous sommelier, a little too full of himself, creates quite the opposite effect.
If you are faced with a difficult or pompous sommelier, just remember they're not royalty. If a sommelier approaches your table wearing his ceremonial hardware on a thin ribbon around his neck, like some character out of a "Lord of the Rings" movie, it's a bad sign. This accessory, called a "tastevin", is a prelude to intimidation. That object dangling on the ribbon is really a flattened silver cup which has little dimpled indentations on the bottom. The history of the cup refers back to the time it was invented for use in cellars of Burgundy, preelectricity. Wine makers would go from barrel to barrel to taste how the wine was coming along, they'd use the cup. The little dimples pounded in when the cup was made had a real purpose: When the candlelight hit the dimples, light was reflected off them and the vintner could see the color of the wine... I find that when sommeliers are decked out in their cups, it brings out bravado in attitude and is a turnoff. Really more to the point, these cups make historically interesting ashtrays. You can even buy one new at Tiffany's.
Ordering without a Sommelier: Do as much as you can without the help of a sommelier. Sometimes, they're pushing a certain wine the way a wine shop may be pushing one they want to unload. They may have had a meeting that morning at the restaurant at which the manager or owner said, "We bought too much Chardonnay from the south China coast and we'd better tell everyone how great it is." I've been burned on such recommendations. The bottom line about sommeliers is this: What matters is what they know and how graciously they serve you. The sommelier is there to help you and not look down on you.
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