We're still here I assure you

... but we're simply learning in silence at the moment. Why the recent silence on the blog? Chalk it up to too many things to figure out... We will be back soon with many more fun and interesting things we've learned. Promise.

A Tall Order: Sommelier 101

After a teeny bit of research, I have compiled a list of things that one should know about HOW TO BECOME A SOMMELIER. The following Qs expand the list of questions that I posted earlier. To be a sommelier, one should know how to:

1. Describe regions, grape types, seasons, vineyards, and vintages of assortment of wines
2. Capably create wine lists that are paired with appropriate meals
3. Utilize and explain terminology to describe wines
4. Identify and use appropriate wine glasses for appropriate wines
5. Describe components of wines
6. Decant wines (and know which)
7. Explain and understand the chemistry behind winemaking
8. Taste wine and identify wines by appearance, taste, smell
9. Judge color, aroma, flavour, body
10. Store and care for bottles for max flavour and longevity.

That's a tall order. I'm not sure I know where to begin. Maybe I need a glass of wine to get started?

Wine Word Quiz

Test your vocabulary!! How much do you know about wine words? I'll keep it easy by starting at the beginning of the wine alphabet.

Fill in the Blanks, if you please.

1. Acetic: Describes sour, ____ odor referred to as volatile _____, too much of which will make wine undrinkable.
2. ____ (four letter word): sharp, tart effect of green ___ of young wine on both nose and ___.
3. Aroma: perfume of fresh fruit; it diminishes with ____ and disappears with age to be replaced by "_____".
4. Astringent: rought, puckery taste sensation caused by excess of ____ in especially young ___ wines. Diminishes with age in bottle.

[Ok, I'll be honest and admit that I had to look up every single one of these words. If you don't feel like waiting for the answers to be posted, take a look at the website where these words are found. Don't cheat until you at least try them first!]

What's the Word

So what or who exactly is a sommelier? Beyond being a super-informed wine steward, you apparently have to be a pack animal driver. Or maybe be THE pack animal itself? Well not really. Just kidding.

Etymology of the word from Merriam-Webster:

Pronunciation: \ˌsə-məl-ˈyā\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural sommeliers \-ˈyā(z)\

Etymology:

French, from Middle French soumelier official charged with transportation of supplies, from Old French, pack animal driver, probably alteration of *sommerier, from somier pack animal, from Medieval Latin saugmarius, from Late Latin sagma packsaddle — more at sumpter

Date: 1829

So if that didn't help explain what a sommelier is or does, then here's this great paragraph that I filched from Wiki:

A sommelier (pronounced /sɔməˈlje/ or suh-mal-'yAy), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service. The role is more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter.

Their principal work is in the area of wine procurement, storage, and wine cellar rotation. They are also responsible for the development of wine lists and are responsible overall for the delivery of wine service and training for the other restaurant staff. Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item. This entails the necessity for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony. It could be argued that the role of a sommelier in fine dining today is strategically on par with that of the executive chef or chef de cuisine. A professional sommelier also works on the floor of the restaurant and is in direct contact with restaurant patrons. The sommelier has a responsibility to work within the taste preference and budget parameters of the patron.

In modern times, a sommelier's role is considered much broader than working only with wines, and must encompass all aspects of the restaurant's service, with an enhanced focus on wines, beers, spirits, soft-drinks, cocktails, mineral waters, and tobaccos. Some restaurants will employ a sommelier for water, one for whiskies, one for cigars, and so on.

To bad that simply being knowledgeable about wines and stuff doesn't make you a sommelier, because Jenny and I have been doing mad research and we surely have accumulated enough data to fill at least one page of a book, and if that doesn't make us sommeliers, well, I don't know what will.

What I know now is that a sommelier basically has to know everything there is to know about wines and wine service.

That sounds easy. Sure.

Let's get started

So essentially Jenny and I have thrown down the gauntlet, and the only ones to pick it up are ourselves. What, you ask, could possibly inspire these two aspiring and knowledge-thirsty Ladies of Learning to take up such an adventurous task? Our intense fear of boredom? Our anxiety about being obsolete, unwanted, irrelevant? Our deficient sense of self?

Contrary to popular belief, we lead very substantive lives filled with depth and meaning. We are merely cursed with a drive that compels us, no, propels us to eternally search, seek, learn, educate.

Our first topic is summed up easily with the word "sommelier." We're gonna figure out some difficult things and some other fun things. Most of the time, it's to help us be and feel better informed about aspects of our lives so that what we do has a sense of meaning and significance.

We both love wine but don't drink it very much so we know so very little. Here and now we'll take up questions and consider answers that deal with being a wine connoisseur.

What are some questions that might cross our minds when we think of wines and master sommelier?

1. How do you describe various kinds of wine? What are the typical jargon, vocabulary, that would be used to accurately describe reds, whites, dessers, etc.?
2. How does a sommelier describe the regions, vintages, seasons, etc?
3. How do you select which wines for which food dishes?
4. Which wine glasses are most appropriate for which wine types?
5. What is the best sweet wine?
6. How do you make red wine?
   
7. What's the different between port and dessert wine?
   

There's so much more, but let's start with some of these and we'll go from there...