Should the sommelier taste a guest’s wine? It is a fair question, and one worth settling before your first service.
The Court’s Service Standards give a clear, measured answer under the heading ‘Tasting the Wine?’. It is short enough to learn by heart, and it rests on one idea: the taste is a courtesy between guests, done where the guest can see it.
01Why a sommelier tastes
The Service Standards give two reasons. The first is condition. In some restaurants the sommelier checks the wine to make sure it is in good condition and not faulty.
The second is knowledge. Tasting teaches the sommelier about the wine that has been chosen. The standards are direct about why that matters: “Giving an accurate recommendation of wine from your list can only be done if you have previously tasted it.”
Both reasons serve guests. A faulty bottle can be noticed, and later recommendations rest on having tasted the wine.
02A courtesy passed from guest to guest
The Court frames the taste as a courtesy. One customer pays it to the next, through the sommelier, so that the next customer receives better service and better recommendations.
Seen this way, the small pour is not taken from the guest. It is passed forward. The guest at the table tonight helps the sommelier guide the guests who come after them.
The pour itself stays small. The standards ask only for a reasonable amount.
03How to do it well
The manner matters as much as the reason. The standards set out three points:
