Career in Wine Industry - Sommelier
At its most basic, the French term Sommelier refer to a wine waiter or wine steward. However, a sommelier is much more than that. He/She is a highly trained and knowledge able wine professional who specializes in all aspects of wine service, from advising diners on what wines would go best with certain foods to the nitty gritty of procurement, managing inventory flow, creating wine lists for F&B establishments, mentoring budding sommeliers, etc. This requires a blend of Hospitality skills and in-depth knowledge of wines the grape varieties, regions, vintages, vineyards, how to taste wine, etc. Depending on their personal skills, sommeliers can join the wine trade and work in production, in the import and export of wine education, training, wine writing and so on.
Institute & URLS
-Vincrest India, Delhi. www.vincrest.com (slated to open by August 2009)
-Institute for Wine and Beverage Studies, Delhi. www.iwbs.in (slated to open by August 2009).
-KBR School of Wine, Mumbai. www.kbrwineschool.com
ABROAD
-The Court of Master
Sommeliers, UK, offers the highest internationally-recognised certification of Master Sommelier. Also offers advanced Sommelier Certificate and the Introductory Sommelier Certificate. www.mastersommeliers.org
-Sommelier Society of America, USA. www.sommeliersocietyofamerica.org
-American Sommelier
Eduacation, USA. www.americansommelier.org
-International Wine Guild, USA. www.internationalwineguild.com
-UK Sommelier Association www.uksommelier.com
L *Universite du Vin, France www.universite-du-vin.com
-Wine and Spirit Education Trust School, Uk www.wset.co.uk
SKILLS
A good hotel management degree focusing on wine on-the-job training or a certified course from a well respected organization, strong interest in the subject and the desire to learn. A certified Sommelier qualification from a reputed institute is an added asset.
A sommelier certification offer practical training in wine service and tasting as well as knowledge about wine regions, winemaking and viticulture practices, etc.
CLOCK WORK
10 am: Check stocks, receive new wines, conduct tasting and prepare tasting notes.
12 pm: Do inventory checks. Conduct/be part of training sessions.
2 pm: Look after service during lunch hour.
7 pm: Look after service during dinner.
HOW DO I GET THERE
-A degree from a reputed hotel management institute followed by on-the-job training OR
-A sommelier certificate course from an accredited, internationally-recognised institution. The levels start from Beginners to Intermediate and Advanced. The highest certification is that of Master Sommelier, offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, UK.
THE PAYOFF
Owing to the variety of sectors sommeliers can offer services in hotels, restaurants, import-export companies, or even as independent consultants, the payoff varies immensely.
In F7B establishments-
Junior Sommelier: Rs.5000-7000per month
Senior Sommelier: Rs. 7000-10000per month
Head Sommelier: Rs. 10000-25000per month
Independent wine consultants: anywhere from Rs.25000 to a couple of lakhs a month.
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