Wine / Sommelier Schools in the U.S.

Typical Training at a Sommelier School

At the highest levels of the profession, a sommelier might consult with the restaurant's chef on how best to stock the wine cellar. This involves reviewing the menu and picking the best wines to compliment each dish as well as finding tasty wines at a variety of price levels. Sommelier school helps you to develop your palette as you learn how to properly taste and evaluate wines. Additional sommelier classes may include:

• Food and wine pairings
• Grape varieties and characteristics
• Sensory evaluation
• Service techniques
• Vinification and viticulture (wine production and grape growing)
• Wine regions

Your level of education and training can greatly affect your earnings. A sommelier with only minimal experience might earn around $28,000 a year. By contrast, an experienced sommelier with impressive certification can earn around $80,000. At the pinnacle of the profession, a Master Sommelier might have a salary of $160,000 annually.

Degrees Offered by Sommelier Schools

Each sommelier school offers its own type of certification. The International Sommelier Guild, for example, gives graduates a sommelier diploma, while the Wine and Spirits Education Trust grants a higher certificate.

The highest and most impressive level of education is that of Master Sommelier. Only 112 sommeliers around the world currently possess this title. It's a four-part process open to anyone already working in the beverage or hospitality industries that includes:

• Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam
• Certified Sommelier Examination
• Advanced Sommelier Course & Examination
• Master Sommelier Diploma Exam

The exams involve blind tastings along with written and practical sections.

Sommelier Skills and Career Opportunities

Most sommeliers work in fine dining establishments helping the customers to select wines for their meals. That means you must be a night person or you won't enjoy this job. You also need excellent people skills, both to satisfy your clients and to collaborate with other restaurant professionals.

A large portion of your time may be spent ordering wines for the cellar and keeping track of inventory. For that, you need at least basic computer skills, such as being able to create spreadsheets. A working knowledge of business practices can also help you to understand profit margins, making it easier to price the wines on your menu.

You can also perform marketing and public relations duties, like hosting wine tasting dinners. And, of course, you can offer sommelier classes of your own and teach others how to become a sommelier like you.