Sommelier certification | everyone calls you amazing but i just call you mine

Sommeliers – Who Needs Them? Whether an elitist affectation or an essential adjunct to heightened gastronomical enjoyment, sommeliers are keepers of a treasure trove of Wine intelligence. R James Mullen reports however that database technology could make them an endangered species.

Sommeliers – Who Needs Them? Whether an elitist affectation or an essential adjunct to heightened gastronomical enjoyment, sommeliers are keepers of a treasure trove of Wine intelligence. R James Mullen reports however that database technology could make them an endangered species.

Until relatively recently sommeliers were the keepers of wine cellars for royalty assuring, among other things, that adequate stocks were maintained and the quality met the standards of their highnesses. A clever restaurateur – time and place uncertain but several Parisians lay claim to the idea – deduced that hiring one of these cellar masters would free him from wine worries to concentrate on cooking. Thus was launched the rise of sommeliers to positions of prominence on the floors of blue ribbon dining establishments.

Sommeliers became in effect negotiators between the patron’s wine palate and the chef’s creations offering suggestions as to the best combinations of the favours and seasonings of the food with the assertiveness and acidity of the wines of the house.

The evolution of sommeliers as part of the dining experience occurred primarily in the capitals of Europe but rarely in the New World. Until little more than 30 years ago diners in all but the most elaborate venues in the Americas and Australia were left to their own knowledge when it came to selecting wines in spite of the fact that both regions experienced an explosion in creative cuisine and world-class wine production. Perceptive restaurant owners seized the opportunity to appeal to more wine-conscious customers by featuring wine dinners often hosted by winemakers. The trickle down effect saw wine lists grow causing restaurateurs to spend more time and money keeping their lists up-to date and selling wine. It all came full circle when harried bosses took a closer look at sommeliers a la the European model and began hiring them to enhance the wine and dining experience.

Along with the gradual globalisation of wine and food pairing came a new realm of specialty training. Following the success of the rigorous and prestigious Master of Wine programme developed in the UK in the 1950s primarily to service the professional needs of the wine industry, several courses began to appear specialising in training sommeliers for the hospitality industry. Arguably, the leading provider of such training is the Court of Master Sommeliers, also based in the UK since its start in 1969, which offers a Master Sommelier diploma, or MS which at least portends the same aura of importance as the exponentially more difficult to achieve Master of Wine or MW.

source : khabrein.info