The Black Belt Guide to Understanding the Sommelier & all the Hoopla

A while back I was reading a story on a local blogger’s site about people dining out and the frustration with all the steps the sommelier went through to pour his wine.  It came down to the guest feeling uncomfortable.  This is unfortunate!  The one thing that I have learned over the years is that the sommelier is simply the wine steward.  The wine steward is supposed to make wine easy and approachable.

I really believe that this is a fault in our society.  We are always trying to break away from traditions.  We are a young nation that acts like the rebellious teenager who just wants to escape the system.  Trust me, I am guilty of that all that time, but I also know when there is a time and place for it.

I’ll give you a look at my personal juxtaposition.  I studied traditional martial arts for many years.  I understood the value of tradition and always turned my nose up at the more freestyle martial arts.  There was something that was much deeper in the traditional system than the pure athleticism of the freestyle arts.  There was a Zen element that transcended the pure physicality of kicking and punching. The Zen element focuses on the ego and learning how to control one’s thoughts and actions.

As I grew older, I decided to leave the martial arts and focus on studio arts.  This was my break from tradition.  My focus as a wanna-be artist was in tearing down the system.  My art was very controversial and I tried to find the faults in our society, political systems and religious views.

Finally, I made a realization that I needed to find balance, and this is where I am today.  I still find faults and criticize the system.  Let’s face it, it needs to be done.  However, I also see the value of tradition.  The steps of service that people get frustrated with are tradition,  and they perform an important function…

The steps of service are there so the guest knows what to expect!

When I train my staff, I always focus on the steps of service.  We serve food from the left, we clear from the right.  We serve drinks from the right.  Why?  This allows the guests to know what to expect. The funny thing is that the majority of diners do not know this.  There isn’t a dining school.  Back in the day there were classes for young people to take to learn how to dine.  Not anymore.  But as a professional we adhere to those traditions so there remains some sort of consistency among dining establishments.

Why all the hoopla with the sommelier & wine? Let’s break it down.

1) Selecting the bottle

A good sommelier will assist the guest in selecting a bottle that suits his/her needs.  Some guests know exactly what they are looking for and others need more assistance.  A good sommelier will find out what your needs are and recommend a wine that fits your occasion.  Remember the sommelier should be familiar with most of the wines on the list; that is his job.  Now, are there somms out there that are egotistical and make this process embarrassing?  Unfortunately, yes.  But as a consumer, stop going there.  Just because there are a few bad seeds, don’t let it ruin the bunch.  There are sommeliers that work very hard and are a lot more Zen-like. They leave their ego at the door and treasure the moment of one on one with the guest.

2) Presenting the bottle

What is all the hoopla?  He shows me the bottle, reads it for me and finally begins to open it with extreme caution.

Remember there is a method and reason for this madness.  First of all, the somm reads the label to double check that this is the correct wine.  Trust me, I have had staff open bottles of wine for the guest that sounded like their selection but was not.  They drank them and did not notice until the check came and they saw that the bill was several hundred dollars more.  This is what we call in martial arts, a “non-aggressive defensive move.”

The act of opening of the bottle also needs to be performed properly.  The foil is removed to prevent it from contaminating the wine.  You notice that the bottle does not move, that the label is always facing you.  This is still part of that safe guard, making sure you can see what you are about to drink.

3) Tasting the wine

The somm tastes me on the wine, asks if I like it.  Why not just pour it?!?

The wine is tasted to make sure there are no faults.   Many guests use this time to send wine back.  The wine should only be sent back if the somm recommended something that was not suitable for your needs.  Also if the wine is tainted, oxidized or off.  If you order a wine without the assistance of the somm, and you do not like it, then shame on you.  The wine should not be returned unless the wine is off, not because you don’t like black fruit in your wine.  Use the sommelier to help you pick it out. Doing so is like having insurance.

4) Pouring the bottle

Why the long process of pouring the wine one by one and always in the same order?   Every time I order the wine, I always get served last.

The reason that the guests are poured in a certain order is so that everyone knows what to expect.  The host always gets served last.  But don’t fret. Remember as the host you also get the first sip.  This means that you actually get that much more wine than everyone else.

Tradition!  The hoopla is all about tradition. These are steps of service created for the guest.  The reason is so you know what to expect from your server.  We follow these steps of service so that everyone has a clear idea of what is coming next.  There is something really valuable about adhering to tradition. It keeps everyone under the same umbrella of understanding.  It is not a stage for the somm to show off, but a ceremony to insure you have the best dining experience possible.

Now I Know My Wine-Phabet: K is for Rudy Kurniawan

 In this new series called “Now I know my Wine-phabet”, I will explore letter by letter wine and what I believe are some of the most important and/or influential aspects in the world of wine.  Since I am only choosing one topic per letter, many will be missed.  Hopefully these posts come across as being whimsical and informative.

 

K-ounterfeiting and fraud sums up Rudy Kurniawan.  Rudy Kurniawan has left a bad taste in mouths of wine collectors.  Today there are hundreds of collectors rummaging through their cellars wondering if they have K-ounterfeits or the real deal.

Rudy Kurniawan was arrested in March of 2012 for producing fraudulent bottles of the worlds most expensive and allocated wines.  He sold these wines to auction houses and made millions.  But in the end all bad guys go to jail.  He was out smarted by guys who really knew their stuff.   David Molyneux-Berry of the Sotheby, Domaine Ponsot  and others came to save the day.  They accused Rudy Kurniawan of k-ounterfeiting wines that were never even produced. Read Full

Wine Tasting Notes for July 2012

WINE TASTING NOTES FOR JUly 2012

My intention in posting my wine tasting notes is to give a brief description of some of the many wines I come across over a months time.  Some wines will make the wine list and others will not.  Choosing one wine over another for the list, comes down to what holes need to be filled.  Keeping my notes online allows me to access them for future reference.

 

I do not want to rate wines on a point system. There many flaws with the point system, I merely want to give the reader a description of my interpretation of the wine on a given day.  Wines are always changing, we are always changing and what comes across as unpleasing one day can be enjoyable the next.  I want to give the reader an insight in to what the wines taste like rather than attaching a subjective score to them.  Winemakers and wineries work hard and are very proud of their juice. I will evaluate their product, but I will not trash it.  There are times when I can’t hold back and if I really like something, I will write “Yummy” or “Delicious”.  I hope you enjoy my notes. Read Full

Now I Know My Wine-Phabet: “J” is for Jeroboam

 In this new series called “Now I know my Wine-phabet”, I will explore letter by letter wine and what I believe are some of the most important and/or influential aspects in the world of wine.  Since I am only choosing one topic per letter, many will be missed.  Hopefully these posts come across as being whimsical and informative.

King Jeroboam was known as the evil king of Israel.  King Jeroboam was said to have divided Israel and Judah.  His rival Rehoboam accused him of leading his people away from god and to the worship of the golden calf.

But how does Jeroboam pertain to wine? Read Full

Grgich Hills 1981-1997

Last month I had the honor of attending a tasting in which one of the local San Diego wine brokers, Rob Rubin, dug into his cellar and opened a vertical of Grgich Hills Cabernet.  The vertical went from 1981  to 1997.  What a treat! Read Full