When somebody says ‘sommelier’, what image springs most readily to mind? I’m guessing that it probably involves a man or woman in a smart black outfit – probably including an apron and some kind of badge – who, and this is the important part, knows a lot about wine and how it should be served.
If I asked you to broaden your parameters, you might possibly include some expertise concerning cigars, Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados.
Did you imagine a sommelier being a person who might know more about all the beverages the world is drinking today and will be drinking in the future than any wine critic or merchant?
I have to confess that, until I spent a few days behind the scenes at this year’s ASI Meilleur Sommelier du Monde competition in Paris, I certainly had little idea of how far beyond fermented grape juice today’s wine service professionals’ studies take them.
Cocktail expertise
Each of the 17 semi-finalists was subjected to three different tests in separate rooms. In the first two, they respectively had to demonstrate their tasting and serving expertise: the kinds of skills most people would expect of them. In the third, however, they were asked if a table full of bottles and ingredients included everything they would need to produce a Sazerac and an Aviation cocktail. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t.)
Then they were required to identify a set of five unnamed beverages. The fact that answers ranged from lemon juice in sparkling water and non-alcoholic spirit for the first, to coconut milk and Nigori sake for the opaquely white fifth, illustrates the difficulty of the task. Most spotted the cold-brewed coffee among the other drinks on the table. Many fingered the kombucha.
Finally, without knowing how successful they had been in naming those drinks, the sommeliers had to propose a four-course vegan meal to go with them.
Crowded field
So, why am I telling you about this? Because I believe it reflects something crucially important about wine communication and the drinks market in 2023. To the discomfort of many purists who have little time for spirits or beer or fermented tea, wine today is increasingly one of a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
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