Glossary
Sommelier
sum-uhl-YAY
French; from earlier Provençal saumalier ("pack-animal driver"), then "officer in charge of provisions"
A trained wine professional employed by a restaurant to design the wine list, advise diners on selection, and manage the wine cellar. At fine-dining rooms, the sommelier is often the most experienced front-of-house staff member.
Full Definition
The sommelier is the wine professional in a restaurant — responsible for designing the wine list, advising diners, opening and pouring bottles, and (at the higher tier) running the cellar's purchasing strategy. At a serious fine-dining room the sommelier is often the most seasoned member of the front-of-house team, with ten or more years on the floor.
Master Sommelier (MS) is the highest formal certification in the profession — fewer than 300 people in the world hold it. The Master Sommelier exam tests blind tasting (six wines, identified by region, varietal, vintage in 25 minutes), service ritual, and theory. Rooms with an MS on staff (Eleven Madison Park, The French Laundry, Per Se, Aragawa) wear it on the wine list as a credential.
How to use the sommelier well: describe what you're eating, what you've enjoyed before, and your budget — then defer. The sommelier knows the cellar; you don't. A common mistake is to ask for a specific bottle by name when the cellar has a better pairing for $30 less. The right phrasing: "we're having the tasting menu, we like Burgundy and Barolo, around $200 a bottle — what would you choose?"
At restaurants that don't have a sommelier, the wine list is usually short, mid-priced, and chosen by the manager — fine for casual dinners, less optimal for occasion meals where wine matters. Restaurants with deep cellars and senior sommeliers are listed in our editorial verdicts where the cellar is part of the offer.