During this season of lists — shopping list, naughty lists, etc. — I feel compelled to offer another one. You just might check this one twice as you sit down at holiday meals at your favorite dining establishments. Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking about what constitutes a good sommelier from a guest’s perspective. This is a bit of a self-reflection, since my day-to-day job is to, in part, run a wine program.
I’ve come up with a list of what I think makes for a solid restaurant wine service professional. Feel free to use these criteria as benchmarks for that man or woman approaching your table holding that “other list,” the one with the wines on it.
Does he care? This has nothing to do with grand cru vineyards or biodynamic wines or personal friendships with winemakers. If he seems like he couldn't care less or doesn't seem capable of listening to you, he probably can't and isn't. If he doesn't know all the second growth châteaux of St. Estèphe, but seems interested in making sure your experience this night is as pleasant as possible, you're probably in good hands. Give him 2 points.
Does he speak your language? I can't imagine a broader subject than wine. Being a sommelier demands that you know a lot of stuff. I find it insufferable and sophomoric when anyone lords knowledge like a golden scepter. Your sommelier should immediately know what level you are at and communicate at that level. You should never feel talked down to. If you have a question and she cheerfully and simply answers you in terms that you understand, give her 2 points.
Do you recognize five wines on the list? There are roughly 1 million winemakers in the world. You can't list them all, so you have to make some choices. I have spent most hours of every working day for the past 15 years thinking, reading and tasting wines and I find it fascinating (and perhaps telling) that a sommelier can put together a list that I don't recognize more than a handful of producers. That's demoralizing for a guest. The sommelier won't always be there to help a guest navigate such a treacherous compilation of wines. If you can pick out a wine without any help, give the sommelier who created the collection 2 points.
Do you recognize every wine on the list? Referencing that 1 million winemaker figure again, nobody knows every wine. Discovering new wines while dining out is exciting. If the wine list is comprised with only trendy, popular wines or only the most well-known winemakers of a region, somebody's not trying very hard. If the wine list seems nicely balanced between the known and the unknown, give that sommelier 2 points.
Does she know the score of every wine? A competent sommelier understands the biology, chemistry, economics, sociology, ecology, history, cuisine and aesthetics of wine. In context, your professional wine server should be able to bring any of these topics to bear so each selection is perfect. A 100-point wine is not always the best wine. If you get halfway through your bottle and you find yourself saying this wine perfectly fits that moment, but you have no idea what influential wine critics thought about it, give your sommelier 3 points.
Is he a one-trick pony? If your sommelier can suggest five bourbons and five locally brewed beers off the top of his head, give him 1 point.
Can you order a wine from any server in the dining room? Staff education takes time and commitment for the sommelier. Everyone from the busser to the maitre d' cannot be considered a sommelier, but everyone the guest comes in contact with should have a basic understanding of wines and what wines are available. If you ordered a fabulous wine from someone other than a sommelier, give that absent sommelier 3 points.
Details. Was your wine served at the right temperature in an appropriate and clean glass? 1 point. Was the pour the right amount for the glass? 1 point. Did you have sufficient options for bottles under $40? 1 point. Would the restaurant take a bottle back if you tasted it and simply didn't like it? 2 points.
If you have a 20-point sommelier, consider yourself well-served. I’d be pretty skeptical of the guest’s scorecard if the sommelier who garnered every point listed above said goodbye to an unhappy customer … at least as far as the wine service is concerned. It is a constant frustration for those of us who are totally committed to the 20 points to come up short no matter what we do.
