Professional Wine Service

Christie Dufault a frequent CIA instructor and a member of the wine team at rn74 (named after the main route through Burgundy) spent the day showing us the array of tools she has to perform the responsibilities of a sommelier.

For the most part I didn't get much from this day of corkscrews. I have opened a lot of bottles of wine and I may not be the best but I get the job done. More important was the knowledge that Christie gave us regarding what it means to be in the service profession. I, as most of my classmates, am not sure what area of the wine industry I want to work in and Christie's knowledge helped me to realize that I probably don't want to be a sommelier. The reason for this is that the job is often times more about being "in service" and less about teaching people about wine. It's more about opening and presenting bottles than it is about describing what's in the bottle and how it makes you feel.

She did give us the lowdown on decanting and demonstrated the process.
There are 5 reasons for decanting wine:
1. To prevent sediment from going into the glass. Sediment is the harmless byproduct of the wine making process and can consist of any or all of the following: skins, pits, stems, or yeast sells.
2. Aeration of the wine. Many wines benefit from aeration (mixing oxygen into the wine to bring out the flavor) and decanting can be an effect way of doing this.
3. Temperature - Moving a wine around inside a decanter can bring it up to a warmer temperature that will improve the tastes that can be hidden if it's too cold.
4. Appreciation - Being able to show the wine in a clear decanter to appreciate it's colors
5. Showmanship/Presentation

I asked what wine would not benefit from decanting and the answer is some older wines that have a delicate aroma that could be killed by too much motion. I have to admit that I am not happy with this response. I also asked if sommelier's get a cut of bottle sales and Christie said that all restaurants are different and the way it usually works is that there are sales goals established that when reached mean bonuses to the sommeliers.

Recommended Reading:
Sales & Service for the Wine Professional - Brian Julian
The Art of Decanting - Sandy Jordan
Sommelier Journal