{"id":1740,"date":"2018-09-16T19:55:27","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T23:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2018-12-11T10:32:42","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T15:32:42","slug":"sommelier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/2018\/09\/16\/sommelier\/","title":{"rendered":"Sommelier"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I had to research a bit to get the actual origins of a sommelier.\u00a0 \u00a0Here are some excerpts from the following url:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.torres.es\/en\/blog\/wine-planet\/origins-and-future-sommelier<\/a><\/p>\n

To varying degrees, wine service has played a significant role alongside food culture since ancient times.\u00a0Ganymede was cup-bearer to the gods in Greek mythology, and the Romans had a specific name for the people two tasted and served wine (c\u00e1mera<\/i>)<\/strong>. In the 18th century, however, wine culture really started to come into its own.<\/p>\n

There are different\u00a0theories\u00a0about\u00a0the origin of the word\u00a0\u201csommelier.\u201d One of them points to the Latin word\u00a0sumere,\u00a0<\/i>which means to absorb liquid, to drink. Another is based on the name for the person who was responsible for the wine during long voyages in medieval France, known as the\u00a0somerier<\/i>. The job entailed transporting the wine in carts drawn by animals, the\u00a0b\u00eates de somme\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0(pack animals). From there, the word evolved into\u00a0sommelier,\u00a0<\/i>the person who took care of and knew about wine<\/p>\n

The Sommelier’s Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n

The official name is\u00a0Tastevin<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0\"\"<\/a> which in French means Taste Wine..\u00a0This shallow silver metal cup is faceted and convex so that when you’re in a candle-lit cellar, you\u00a0can\u00a0judge\u00a0the\u00a0color and clarity of a\u00a0wine more easily than by holding up a glass.\u00a0 \u00a0Many times you will see this on a chain around the sommelier’s neck.\u00a0 \u00a0This is really for ease of use.\u00a0 \u00a0Today, it has become more of a badge of honor recognizing the credentials required to become a sommelier.\u00a0 \u00a0Rarely will you see one of these cups used in a restaurant to pour wine to be tasted before giving the bottle to a customer.\u00a0 Its an old\u00a0 traditional, but something that should be held in great regard.<\/p>\n

How does one become a Sommelier?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you think becoming a sommelier is all fun and drinking wine, you should know this: it\u2019s no cake walk. You have to read and study, study, study, and practice wine service and identifying wines tasted blind.<\/p>\n

First the cost<\/em>:\u00a0\u00a0Cost to be a Certified Sommelier. An introductory sommelier course through the Court of Master Sommeliers is just\u00a0$525, with a follow-up course at $395 and an exam fee of $395. If you pass the exam on your first try, this means you can become a Certified Sommelier with your out-of-pocket costs totaling about $1,315.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Courses:<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0You can take both Court of MasterSommeliers\u00a0and WSET classes in the U.S. If you go through the entire Court program and pass, you\u00a0become\u00a0a Master\u00a0Sommelier(MS). For WSET, if you pass the Diploma level, you can work towards a Master of Wine (MW). These top levels take years to achieve.<\/p>\n

Achievements:\u00a0 <\/em>For\u00a0blind tasted the wines, they are taught how to analyze color, body, intensity, aroma and flavors to help them figure out where the wine comes from and what type of wine is in the glass.\u00a0\u00a0Lots of time was spent on classic grape varietals and regions where they grow.<\/p>\n

The hardest part \u2014 tasting wines blind and figuring out what each one is. If you pass then you become a Certified Sommelier. Now you are one step closer to being a\u00a0\u00a0Sommelier<\/b><\/p>\n

What I have left out of this so far, is the hard work anyone wanting to become a sommelier has to go through.\u00a0 Face it, you just dont get out of college and one day say, I want to become a sommelier (perhaps they may be some out there), but for many it was a decision that probably came after spending time in some other field.\u00a0 \u00a0But their passion for wine drove them to a new career path.\u00a0 At the same time, they still needed an income, so they stayed with their current job, many having families and other responsibilities.\u00a0 So, more hard work and sacrifices had to happen to reach their goal.\u00a0 \u00a0I am not saying that only people becoming sommeliers have to go through hard work and sacrifices, because anyone who wants to achieve what they are really after and want drives them, it takes more work than usual.<\/p>\n

I retired from IBM in 2009.\u00a0 Part of the retirement package, IBM would pay towards my retraining and\/or paths towards another career path.\u00a0 \u00a0Since, I have always had a strong passion for wine, I was thinking of going the sommelier route.\u00a0 But I eventually did not, because I couldnt see what I would do with that degree at my age, since, I wasnt going to work at any restaurant, I’ve already done my time in retail business, and I wanted to enjoy more of a social life and travel.\u00a0 \u00a0I do regret not taking that plunge.\u00a0 \u00a0Sure, I might never have used that degree ins a professional manner,\u00a0 but it would have given me more self satisfaction.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I have met many sommeliers.\u00a0 \u00a0Some face to face, some from research and some online.\u00a0 \u00a0I think the one thing that always turned me off, was those ‘Wine Snob type – Sommeliers’\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Because of their knowledge, they feel that they are one level above anyone they talk to about wine.\u00a0 \u00a0Doesnt even have to be a sommelier, you have probably run into people like this everywhere.\u00a0 \u00a0Many retail wine shops have one wine person that fits that description of a wine snob.\u00a0 You know, talks about all the different things about wine, that the average consumer really doesnt want to know about.\u00a0 \u00a0I have always had a pet peeve about this.\u00a0 Wine should be fun, no matter if you are the teacher or the student.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past 6 months or so, I have really ramped up my interest about wine.\u00a0 Not wine itself, but talking to others about wines, theories, tastings and almost anything dealing with wine.\u00a0 \u00a0Prior to that , I had joined a number of wine forums.\u00a0 \u00a0I never stayed their too long, because of what I felt was ‘Wine Snobbery atmosphere’\u00a0 \u00a0Then on Instagram, I found a whole different sort of folks.\u00a0 \u00a0It was fun again.\u00a0 I’ve learned so much and hopefully have parted some of my knowledge.\u00a0 \u00a0 I have to single out one person in particular, that is Samantha Capaldi<\/em> , instagram name samanthasommelier<\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0I read so many of her posts, knowing that she is a certified sommelier and I enjoyed all of her words.\u00a0 \u00a0She made it fun, to me, she is what the wine industry really needs, a spokesperson who can educate, delivery and show you so much about the world of wine and food and ENJOY IT<\/p>\n

In my section on Resources, I have included her website\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.samanthasommelier.com\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>
\nTake a look at her web site or visit her on Instagram, she is a very talented
\nand creative young sommelier.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My Tastevin<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was working in my first Wine shop, as many of you know, I was trained by and ex-sommelier.\u00a0 When he passed away, he left me his cup.\u00a0\"\"<\/a> I still have it today.\u00a0 \u00a0I received it in 1972, but I made a mistake.\u00a0 The cup was old, dirty, not much of a shine or gleam to it.\u00a0 So, I took some\u00a0 silver polish to make it shine like new.\u00a0 \u00a0I should have kept it in its original condition.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I had to research a bit to get the actual origins of a sommelier.\u00a0 \u00a0Here are some excerpts from the following url: https:\/\/www.torres.es\/en\/blog\/wine-planet\/origins-and-future-sommelier To varying degrees, wine service has played a significant role alongside food culture since ancient times.\u00a0Ganymede was cup-bearer to the gods in Greek mythology, and the Romans had a specific name … <\/p>\n

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