Wine is a huge industry in South Africa and a good wine list can have a huge impact on a restaurant?s clientele. We?ve been reading a lot about sommeliers of late, and thought we?d share some interesting tidbits about life as a sommelier from some big names in the global hospitality industry.

To start with, you might like to know what a sommelier is! According to Wikipedia, a sommelier “is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching”. A sommelier will usually compile the wine lists for restaurants and be on hand to offer expert advice to restaurant patrons.

Wining and dining

Terry Threlfall, sommelier of Hawskworth Restaurant in Vancouver. Photo © Hawksworth Restaurant.

Working in restaurants is actually where most sommeliers discover their love of wine in the first place…

In Selling the cellar: Life behind the corkscrew, Canadian sommelier Terry Threlfall shares that his career began with his love of food and wine, working in restaurants while still in high school and even becoming maitre d? at the age of 19.

“I loved the business,” he says. “I loved the part about providing great service and seeing people leave extremely happy.” – Vancouver Sun

New Zealander Sarah Limacher?s career as an award winning sommelier began in her parent?s restaurant kitchen, leading to her waiting tables and discovering wine at the age of 19. Seems to be a lucky age in the life of some sommeliers!

“I worked in a restaurant that had an amazing wine list, I suddenly had this massive exposure to the wine scene, there was a lot of opportunity to get stuck into tastings and to learn more about it.” – NZ Herald

Josephine Gutentoft is the sommelier at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl in the Western Cape. Born in Sweden, it was there that she discovered her love of wine and food pairing.

“I started working in restaurants at the age of 18 and worked my way up from these simple types of restaurants to fine dining. I also started realizing that there are different types of wines and that there is a lot to learn about this. One day, I was told about a university that did a degree in culinary arts. I thought this might be interesting, since I would be able to stay in my field of work. I applied and got in and had three amazing years during which I truly fell in love with the art of combining food and wine.” – Women Inc.

Uncorking the passion

A career as a sommelier isn?t all wining and dining though, sometimes dealing with people and difficult personalities can be quite the challenge…

“You check your ego at the door and try to please as many people as you can. […] I?ve had guests in the past who don?t like the menu and don?t like the wine

list because it doesn?t have Yellowtail Shiraz.[…] The key to this industry is diplomacy. We try to get to the base of the problem. We explain. We come to a compromise.

You can know a lot about wine but if you don?t know how to deal with customers and love it, it can be frustrating. It doesn?t matter how much you know.” – Terry Threlfall

According to the professionals, a sommelier must above all else, love wine and people. Don?t underestimate the passion and drive it takes to be knowledgeable about every single bottle of wine in a restaurant cellar, let alone which of those matches what the customer is willing to pay, and what will pair well with their meal.

Every wine has a story

It?s this wealth of knowledge and expertise that can often make sommeliers seem quite intimidating to the average diner, with sommeliers sometimes appearing snobby, especially when it comes to recommending an affordable bottle of wine.

“It’s all about being really approachable. I don’t want people to be afraid to ask questions, it’s about being on everyone’s level. […] You have to bring it down to earth, I mean what is wine about? It’s about good friends and good times, sitting around a table and enjoying it.

If people want to drink a $25 bottle of wine that’s fine and they should get same attention as someone drinking a $200 or $2000 bottle of wine, they are all here for the same reason.” – Sarah Limacher

There?s a certain romance to wine though, and for sommeliers, discovering new combinations of good food and wine to delight the palate and sharing that knowledge with interested guests, is what ignites their passion in this profession.

Josephine Gutentoft, sommelier at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl.

“We?ll talk about the wine and its history, how it might be from a small village in Sicily, how they plant their vines, how they drink the wine in Sicily – the whole story. Story is a big part of it. There?s one behind every wine. It?s such a romantic beverage.

And when a dish is in perfect harmony with the wine, it elevates both the wine and the dish.” – Terry Threlfall

At the end of the day, a sommelier helps others to discover their own love of wine. They don?t just pair food and wine, but wine and people.

“I love the fact that I work in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but most of all I love the fact that I get to work with my big passion: wine. We have an excellent kitchen and I get to combine the fantastic dishes the chefs create with the huge selection of wines from our list. I also love to work with people and to share my passion with our guests, and to hopefully give them an experience above all else.” – Josephine Gutentoft