Sommeliers glean many transferable skills during their time on the floor, including obvious ones like wine knowledge and customer service, as well the chance to boost their business acumen and experience in accounting, inventory, organization, and negotiation. But for many sommeliers, the time inevitably comes—be it due to burnout, need for schedule flexibility, or the desire to try something different—to transition to a different industry role.
“As much as I loved working in the fast-paced, instant gratification of restaurants, I was missing too much,” says Elise Cordell, a former sommelier who is now the brand ambassador for Champagnes for Pernod Ricard USA. “I wanted to achieve a bit more balance in my work and home life.”
However, it can be daunting to figure out which positions you’re well equipped for and how to negotiate the switch. We asked six former sommeliers who now work in wine sales, distribution, writing, consulting, and education for their advice on how to pivot.
Leverage your network
For nearly a decade, Brooke Sabel worked in a “dream role” as the wine director for New Jersey luxury resort Natirar, but in 2017, she became the wine director for Gary’s Wine & Marketplace, which offered a more flexible schedule. Even there, though, pandemic burnout and the need to care for an ailing parent stirred her desire for another transition. Last year, Sabel’s longtime friend Andy Peay reached out to offer her a job as the national sales and marketing director for Peay Vineyards.
Sabel recommends that anyone looking to make a similar change draw on former contacts to research options and interests. “Utilize your network and keep in communication with leaders in publishing, distribution, importing or supplying,” she suggests. Somms with collector contacts might be suited to a retail position; those who relish marketing, logistics, and building portfolios might excel in distributing or importing; and if you have amassed a network of on- and off-premise buyers, you may consider pursuing a supplier role.
“There are opportunities big and small hiding wherever you are,” says Rachel DelRocco Terrazas, an Arizona-based writer, editor, and copywriter. “The wine industry is a supportive community of people to share their stories, ideas and help you find opportunities.”
After a wine writing retreat at the TexSom Awards, DelRocco Terrazas decided she wanted to transition away from the long and late hours as a sommelier at Camerata at Paulie’s in Houston to focus on writing and research. (Her then fiancé, now husband was also transferred to Oaxaca City, Mexico, so she viewed that as a sign to take the plunge and try something new and bold.) Terrazas sent email inquiries and reached out on social media to companies that piqued her interest—even if they weren’t hiring—arranging for coffee or virtual meetups if they weren’t local. She took any opportunity to flex her writing, including launching a blog and offering media and newsletter takeovers, and eventually landed editor gigs at Wine & Spirits Magazine and The Vintner Project.
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