Sommelier

The Sommelier degree provides the skills to become an expert in wine tasting, creating lists of the best of these grape-based beverages, purchasing them for the restaurant, and offering wine and food recommendations.

The goal of a Sommelier is to ensure diners' enjoyment, regardless of the available budget and the specific tastes of each client.

Sommeliers are hired by those restaurants and hotels that wish to increase their prestige, both through the quality of the wines offered and the trust of diners. Learning to taste wines involves recognizing the complexity of its history, investing a large number of both practical and theoretical hours to incorporate key concepts and develop personal experiences as a Sommelier.

People who choose the degree are usually lovers of what a good wine brings and achieving the quality diners expect when receiving a service. Students gain experience as sommeliers through an internship. The internship allows students to gain hands-on experience in the workplace for at least 3 months.

Universities and culinary schools offer sommelier courses in their academic programs.

What qualifications and training are needed to become a sommelier?

There are degrees, workshops, courses with recognized qualifications and short-term diplomas (6 months), which allow aspiring sommeliers to learn about wine production, food pairing, marketing, and management.

Understanding wines and their relationship with food is essential for any future chef. Professionals also incorporate the cultural aspects surrounding the history and the creation of a wine.

Wine industry

Sommeliers also find many degrees within the wine industry. Individual winemakers often employ a sommelier to provide their own expertise. Tours and tastings are an important source of income for many wineries, and having a trained sommelier to oversee tastings can increase sales. The sommeliers also play an important role in selling wines to potential clients, from wholesalers to individual chefs.