Master Sommelier. After the unexpected sensation of the original SOMM film, the elite title bestowed by the Court of Master Sommeliers upon a tiny set of hospitality industry obsessives has gone from obscure insider jargon to the wine world equivalent of celebrity status.
“Are you a Master Sommelier?” is usually the first question I’m asked when an uninitiated civilian learns that long ago I slung bottles on the floor in the Manhattan restaurant Thunderdome — my immediate “No, I’m most definitely not,” inspiring an unintentional expression of disappointment from my new acquaintance.
“In the States, you’re [now] a legend before you’re even dead,” says U.K.-based Eric Zwiebel, an actual Master Sommelier and former director of wine and executive head sommelier at The Samling Hotel and Summer Lodge Hotel, respectively. He clarifies that in Europe, a Master Sommelier is undoubtedly still very important. But in the States, one is viewed by the public as some kind of wine god. And with fewer than 300 of these deities globally, and a typical pass rate for the exam short of 10 percent after years of intensive and expensive study, the worship is understandable.
What follows the disappointed look after revealing my lack of elite status is typically a brief volley of fun facts regarding what a sommelier actually is (wine and beverage steward in a restaurant or hotel), the levels of certification (four), and why I never attempted to chase down the elusive MS crown (long story).
But the title’s meaning is changing. With a wine and beverage world growing ever more complex and work-life balance increasing in importance, the entire idea of what a Master Sommelier is — and the motivation to pursue said rank in the first place — is becoming something of a paradox.
The shelf life of a sommelier
Even among the tight circle of Master Sommeliers, Bobby Stuckey is a bit of a mythical beast. His Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning career — at the likes of Napa’s The French Laundry and his own Frasca Hospitality Group in Colorado — has now spanned four decades on the floor (and going strong). “This is my No. 1 passion, and I’ll probably still be at it when I’m 70,” Stuckey says. “We write my schedule so I can be active on the floor when I’m not traveling.”
But he’s admittedly an outlier. It’s hard work, late nights, and long hours; a performance of sorts, every shift the equivalent of taking the stage for another song and dance. “Our industry — not just for sommeliers — was never really designed for long-term longevity in the traditional sense,” Stuckey says. “For many professions, 55 is the median age. But in our industry, I’m often the oldest person on the floor.
Many of his fellow Master Sommeliers, most of whom have moved on to other industry pursuits outside the restaurant grind, look to him with admiration. “It’s not an easy job as you get older … and I think as a mother, for me, it’s not realistic,” says Sara Floyd, Master Sommelier and co-founder of Swirl Wine Brokers and Luli Wines in California. “Working in a restaurant is a young person’s gig. I’m really impressed with the 10 percent [of Master Sommeliers] that do work on the floor like Bobby,” she says of her longtime friend.
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