There are two sides to the career of a sommelier: public and private. Most people recognize the very visible, public-facing side of the career, in which sommeliers move from table to table at a restaurant, helping guests with their wine selections. But there is also a more private side to the career of a sommelier – the long hours required to get ready for the day, and all the behind-the-scenes work that is required to run a world-class wine program. Here’s a closer look at the day in the life of a sommelier.

Most business days start around 11:00 in the morning, with sommeliers arriving at the restaurant ahead of the lunch service. Since many patrons may not order wine at lunch, this table service is not nearly as frantic as the later dinner service. This gives sommeliers plenty of time to take care of other matters at the restaurant. For example, some sommeliers use the time between lunch and dinner to meet with wine reps, check existing wine stocks, and place wine orders for the next day. This is also time to attend industry events or trade tastings, or to stay up to date with important news in the restaurant business.

Around 2:00-3:00 in the afternoon, lunch service ends, and that means it’s time to start preparing for dinner service already. There are a few business matters to take care of first, such as accepting deliveries, putting wines away, and restocking the cellars. It’s also important to check that the wine list for the evening is current and updated.

If there is time in the afternoon, this is when a staff tasting can occur. These tastings are very important in order to familiarize all staff members with wines on the wine list. The exact format of these staff tastings is up to the discretion of the sommelier. Some head sommeliers, for example, like to conduct these staff tastings as completely blind tastings, in order to hone the wine recognition skills of staff members. Others like to call in wine reps from different wine companies, and let them conduct the tasting.

Later in the afternoon, it’s time for “family meal,” which is a 30-45 minute period when all members of the restaurant staff – everyone from line cooks and servers to sommeliers and chefs – can share a meal together. That’s usually followed by a staff meeting, in which any new updates, changes, or notices are distributed to the staff. At some formal dining establishments, this staff meeting might require a “line up,” with all staff members dressed and ready for dinner service. At that time, the sommelier is usually called on to address the staff and let them know which wines have been added or removed from the wine list. This is very important from a customer service perspective, because it can significantly impact a restaurant patron’s perception of a dining experience if a bottle of wine turns out to be out of stock after being ordered.

At most restaurants, 5:00pm is when the real magic starts to happen. That’s when most restaurants open their doors for business, and the first guests start to place their wine orders for the night. It’s the job of the sommelier to move from table to table, helping guests with their wine selections. Moreover, it is typically the sommelier who handles all by the glass pours, and who refills the glasses of the patrons. The goal here is to create a truly extraordinary experience, and that means being able to curate food and wine pairings like an expert. The one problem here, of course, is that most guests are trying to order wines using terminology that might not be accurate, or who are misinformed about wine styles or grape varieties. So, an expert sommelier must be able to figure out what a guest is really looking for in a bottle of wine. For example, if a guest says that he or she wants a bottle of Pinot Noir, but with the characteristics of a Cabernet Sauvignon, what does that really mean? It could mean, for example, that the guest is looking for a Pinot Noir with a very fruit-forward character that emulates the bold fruit flavor of a California Cab.

During dinner service is when sommeliers are not only moving from table to table, or from bar to table. They are also going up and down to the cellar. That’s why most sommeliers will tell you that they are on their feet much of the day (and night). By 10:00pm, most restaurants have accepted their last seatings of the night. And that means that, sometime before midnight, it’s time for the restaurant to close its doors and for the “breakdown” to start. This just refers to a process of putting wines away, cleaning the ice buckets, polishing the glasses, and restocking bottles.

Due to the high-stress nature of the dinner service (in which a sommelier needs to be able to act in many different roles), it’s often the case that a long night at the restaurant is followed up with staff members unwinding together a local bar for a post-work happy hour. Geographic location has a lot to do with what else might happen during this final unwinding. In New York City, for example, groups of sommeliers might meet up to go to an after-hours club. In Shanghai, they might go out for a night of karaoke and drinks. Thus, it might be the case that a sommelier won’t get home until the wee hours of the morning.

The important thing to keep in mind, of course, is that sommeliers are much more than just wine stewards or wine servers. They are essential to the operation and running of a restaurant, and they are also the “public face” of a restaurant. That means that sommeliers need to be friendly, engaging and personable. They need to be able to share their vast wine knowledge with customers in a way that makes them feel like they are having a very special experience. That takes talent, passion and dedication to the world of wine.