Dictionary:
som·me·lier (sŭm'əl-yā', sô'mə-lyā')  |
[French, from Old French, officer in charge of provisions, pack-animal driver, alteration of *sommerier, from sommier, beast of burden, from Vulgar Latin *saumārius. See summer2.]
| 5min Related Video: sommelier |
| Wordsmith Words: sommelier |
(sum-uhl-YAY)
noun
A wine steward in a restaurant.
Etymology
From French sommelier, from somm(er)ier (one charged with transporting supplies), from sommier (beast of burden), from somme (burden). From driving a pack animal to drafting wine lists, a sommelier has come a long way. A sommelier is to wine as a cicerone is to beer, though the latter has been introduced recently and is not widespread
| Food Lover's Companion: sommelier |
[saw-muh-LYAY] The French term for a steward or waiter in charge of wine. For hundreds of years, sommeliers were responsible for the cellaring and serving of wines for royalty. Eventually the tradition of the sommelier spread to restaurants, where such an individual is expected to have extensive knowledge of wines and their suitability with various dishes.
| Wine Lover's Companion: sommelier |
[saw-muh-LYAY] The French term for a wine steward or waiter in charge of wine. For hundreds of years, sommeliers were responsible for the cellaring and serving of wines for royalty. Eventually, the tradition of the sommelier spread to restaurants, where such an individual is expected to have extensive knowledge of wines, their suitability with various dishes, and how to serve and decant them. See also tastevin.
| Blogs: Related blogs on: sommelier |
| Wikipedia: Sommelier |
A sommelier (pronounced /sʌməlˈjeɪ/, French pronunciation: [sɔməlje]), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching. The role is more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter.
Contents |
The principal work of a sommelier is in the area of wine procurement, storage, wine cellar rotation, and to provide expert advice to customers.[1]
A sommelier may also be responsible for the development of wine lists,[1] and for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item. This entails the necessity for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony. It could be argued that the role of a sommelier in fine dining today is strategically on par with that of the executive chef or chef de cuisine. A professional sommelier also works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron.
In modern times, a sommelier's role may be considered broader than working only with wines, and may encompass all aspects of the restaurant's service, with an enhanced focus on wines, beers, spirits, soft-drinks, cocktails, mineral waters, and tobaccos.
The modern word is French. It derives from Middle French where it referred to a court official charged with transportation of supplies.[2] This use of the term dates to a period when pack animals would be used to transport supplies. The Middle French probably finds its origin in Old Provençal where a saumalier was a pack animal driver[2]. Sauma referred to a pack animal or the load of a pack animal. In Late Latin, sagma referred to a packsaddle.[2]
Though sommelier is a job title potentially anyone may claim, becoming a certified sommelier requires classes and an examination.[3] The certification is offered by a wide range of educators, and a basic education may be attained for $800–3,750 over the course of six months.[3]
The Court of Master Sommeliers, established in 1977, is the examining body for the Master Sommelier Diploma, the Advanced Sommelier Certificate, the Certified Sommelier Certificate, and the Introductory Sommelier Certificate, and was created under the supervision of the Vintners Company, The Institute of Masters of Wine, The British Hotels & Restaurants Association, The Wine & Spirit Association of Great Britain and The Wholesale Tobacco Trade Association.[4] The Court also offers an intermediate level of Education titled "Advanced Sommelier Course" which invites carefully selected candidates to sit and be both tested and educated in the rigors of the Master Sommelier program. The course is generally offered 2-3 times per year and acceptance is highly controlled. Often candidates will apply for 3-4 years before being offered a position. The course is extreme in its preparation and testing for potential Masters Candidates. The Guild of Sommeliers is a nonprofit membership organization, created by a group of Master Sommeliers, to support the development of the trade.
Since the Master Sommelier Diploma was introduced in 1969, 171 people from around the world had become Master Sommeliers by 2009.[4] Of these there were 74 active Master Sommeliers in the Americas, 25 in Europe, with a female contingent of 12, all based in the U.S.[4] By 2008, the diploma had been awarded to 167 professionals world wide since its inception, 96 of these from North America, of which 15 were women.[5]
In France a few top catering schools offer a Sommelier's Diploma which is regarded as the basic for French Sommeliers.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sommelier |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | Sommelier India, The Wine Magazine (Blog) |
| tastevin (culinary) |
| Wine Pure and Simple (Leisure Arts Film) |
 | What is a sommelier? Read answer... |
| Who is Germain Sommelier? Read answer... |
| What are the different types of sommeliers? Read answer... |
 | Yearly salary of a sommelier? |
| How much money does a sommelier earn? |
| Who is Finca Flichman head sommelier? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Wine Lover's Companion. Wine Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2003 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Blogs. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sommelier". Read more |
Mentioned in
