Today’s guests arrive with different expectations, new tools and changing drinking habits. For sommeliers, the challenge is meeting them where they are.
Erik Liedholm
We’re not just seeing different behavior—we’re seeing a different audience. Fewer legacy wine drinkers means we need to engage a new generation.
Braithe Gill
More guests are putting our wine list through an AI platform before dining. I initially worried it might remove the sommelier from the conversation. Instead, most want to discuss what they discovered.
Casper Rice
Guests sometimes search a recommendation online and question the score. Letting them taste often tells a more complete story than any rating.
Stephanie Castaneda
The best experience happens when the right wine matches the guest, the occasion and the meal, not just the label.
Again and again, sommeliers described their role as listening, translating and helping guests feel at ease.
Douglas Kim
Great wine service begins long before the bottle is opened. Technical excellence ensures proper storage and service. Hospitality makes the guest feel understood and cared for.
Emily Nevin-Giannini
Wine service is about translation: listening closely enough to understand what someone enjoys, then connecting them with a wine they may never have discovered otherwise.
Alexandra Hackett
Success isn’t measured by the cellar but by how the guest feels—and whether wine enhances the experience rather than intimidating it.
Experience has a way of changing priorities. Many sommeliers described letting go of perfection and rigid rules in favor of confidence and clarity.
Stephanie Castaneda
Success is not about having the largest list. It’s about offering wines that perform, fit the concept and are easy to recommend.
Torrence O’Haire
We’ve stopped obsessing over vintage. A strong producer will usually release a good wine, and most guests are drinking with dinner, not comparing vintages.
Jesse Salazar
Any wine reaching the table is a win. If the guest enjoys it, we’ve done our job.
Today’s sommelier does far more than build a wine list. Mentoring teams and shaping culture have become just as important.
Douglas Kim
My greatest impact comes from developing the people around me and giving them the confidence to make strong decisions.
Josh Nadel
I try to create an environment that requires no armor. Every colleague brings perspective. My role is to help them grow.
Alec Bruggenthies
The list isn’t for me. It reflects the restaurant and the people who will actually be drinking the wines.
Great wine service often means challenging assumptions.
Alec Bruggenthies
The host pour isn’t about preference; it’s to confirm the wine is sound. We explain that while ensuring the guest feels confident.
Daniel Bowman
Guests are comfortable spending on classic regions, but less familiar regions can be harder to position, even when quality is high.
Molly Greene
Older vintages are often romanticized. Age isn’t always better, and managing expectations is part of the role.
John Mitchell
Grape variety is only part of the story. Place, producer and vintage shape what ends up in the glass.
While the profession evolves, its purpose remains unchanged.
Molly Greene
We are in the memory business. Guests may not remember the wine, but they remember how they felt.
Amy Mundwiler
At the end of the day, it’s about the table, a shared bottle, shared food and good conversation.
Shelley Lindgren
The best service begins with listening—understanding how someone wants to feel, then guiding them there.
Torrence O’Haire
Everyone wants to have a good time and feel cared for.
Steven McDonald
At the end of the day, people are simply trying to have a good time. That’s my job, to help make that happen.
