A sommelier advises restaurant guests on the selection of the right wine or champagne. He knows the wines on the menu and in the cellar and knows which dishes or flavour preferences of the guests go well with them.

The sommelière consults with the chef to optimise the selection of wines to match the planned dishes and compiles the wine list. They calculate prices, make purchases and take care of the storage and maintenance of the wines in the wine cellar as well as the associated bookkeeping and inventory management.

Sommeliers keep themselves constantly informed, undergo further training and maintain contacts with wineries, winegrowers and wine merchants. They attend wine fairs, are familiar with the latest trends in viticulture and are responsible for training service staff accordingly.

What does a sommelier need?
To work as a sommelier, you need basic training in gastronomy, the hotel industry and/or viticulture/wine trade as well as professional experience in service in upscale gastronomy and/or as a sommelier. There are also courses, for example at hotel management schools, where you can acquire a federal certificate as a sommelier/sommelière while working. You can read more about this at Hotel & Gastro Formation.
In addition to training, a sommelier naturally needs a very good sense of taste and smell, a confident demeanour, good manners and foreign language skills. You should be service- and guest-orientated, responsible and flexible and enjoy selling.

Sommeliers and sommelières not only work in upscale restaurants, but also on cruise ships, in the wine trade or retail trade, as seminar organisers, wine experts or wine journalists.