The other night I had a long conversation with a smart wine person. He was disturbed by the loss of significant sommeliers (read: real) in upscale eateries. “Too many people just call themselves sommeliers,” said he who will remain nameless. “Most wine people in restaurants blabber about varietals. Anybody can read a book and recite the qualities. But they don’t know vintages and they haven’t tasted enough.”
I agreed. The poor economy has forced many local restaurants to eliminate even the marginal “sommeliers” from their payroll. Conversely, Pappas Bros. seems to keep piling them on. They have Barbara Werley, one of only 17 female Master Sommeliers in the world; Kim Wood, Advanced Sommelier; and Heather Greene, Certified Sommelier. Yesterday, teammate Jason Hisaw graduated to Advanced Sommelier status.
Hisaw, and 56 others, took the exam this past week in Anaheim, California. Only 27 passed. The Certified Wine Sommelier position is based on the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide and Certified Specialist of Wine according to The Society of Wine Educators.
Hey, Leslie “Catch A Falling Star” Brenner: perhaps you should ask Barbara Werley about Bordeaux. You Rhône Ranger, you.
