What does a Sommelier actually do?
Do you just serve people wine?
On a practical level, we help the restaurant stay profitable. Wine carries much higher margins than food at a much lower cost. A good Sommelier can often have a table spend more on wine than on food.
But it’s about more than just “selling expensive wine”. Because Sommeliers aren’t essential to the mechanics of service in the way a chef or waiter is, I always felt the role was less about execution and more about elevation. The waiters and chefs made sure people got the food they ordered, in good time. I made sure they had a good time with the food they ordered.
Here are three things Sommeliers do that most people don’t realise:
1. Pair to the table
When we pair wines at home, it usually goes like this:
“We’re having lamb. That’ll go well with a red. We’ve got a Rioja in the rack—job done.”
In a restaurant, it’s more complicated. On a table of four, there might be four different starters and four different mains—some fish, some meat, some spicy, some light and delicate. The Sommelier has to find a solution that works for everyone.
Sometimes, especially if the guest wants to keep things simple, that means finding a magical wine that will kind of work (or at least not totally ruin) all of the dishes. I call these “safe wines”—Rioja, Côtes du Rhône, and (weirdly enough) rosé are great examples. They tend to play nicely with most things.
But the more enjoyable route is to mix things up. Maybe we order a crisp white for the table to start, then move onto a red by the glass or a half bottle for those having meat mains. Or I might explain that if they go for this particular red, person one can enjoy a glass with their beef, and the rest of the table can join in when the cheese course arrives.
All of this needs to sit within the guest’s budget, take their preferences into account, and appear effortless.
2. Make the host look good
From the Sommelier’s perspective, the host is whoever orders the wine. Usually, they’re the person paying and trying to make the evening special for their guests.
My job is to help them do that—quietly and without fuss.
Once they’ve ordered the bottle and we’ve gone through the usual “Would you like to taste it?”, I pour for the other guests first—because they’re the ones being looked after.
When the bottle is nearly finished, I make sure the guests get the last of it. That gives the host a chance to decide whether to order another while the rest of the table still has wine in their glasses.
Once, a customer confidently ordered a bottle of Margaux for his group of six, clearly trying to impress. I (acting bashful) asked if he had a preference for “vintages”, as we had two options. Then I gently and silently pointed out on the wine list that one was £80, the other £600.
We shared a look. He nodded and said, “I believe the 2009 is the better vintage—wouldn’t you agree?”
I wholeheartedly agreed. He saved face. I saved him £520. No one else at the table was any the wiser.
3. Become a jack-of-all-trade chef
One of the most exciting times at Castle Terrace was lobster season. Often the first lobsters of the day were still on the boat when lunch service began—that’s how fresh they were.
To pair wines properly, I needed to know exactly how the lobster was being prepared. So one morning, I asked a chef I got on well with, “Can you tell me more about how the lobster is cooked?”
“Nope.”
At first, I thought it must be some kind of chef’s secret. But then he said, “You’ll need to speak to Bob—he’s the poissonnier.”
It turned out Bob cooked all the seafood. Every day. And only the seafood. He was an absolute expert—but if I’d asked him how the Wagyu beef was cooked, he wouldn’t have had a clue. Each chef had a specialism, and very little knowledge beyond it.
Over time, I spoke to chefs from every section, learning about every dish. It meant I probably knew more about the entire menu than most of the kitchen team—and it helped me build better pairings and pick up some brilliant cooking secrets I still use today.
There’s so much more to explore—how to build a wine list, what makes a great by-the-glass pour, and the weirdest wine request I ever got (it involved a very expensive bottle of wine and Red Bull). I’ll cover all of that in future issues.
For now, just remember: a good Sommelier doesn’t just pour wine.
They pour experience.
Cheers,
Duncan
Your Casual Sommelier
P.S. Got a Sommelier-related question? Hit reply—if I can help, I’ll turn it into a future newsletter.