Kicking Around at Sommelier Boot Camp (Okanagan)

KICKING AROUND AT SOMMELIER BOOT CAMP

(And the Ten Things We Learned about Sommeliers.)


Wickipedia defines "sommelier" this way:

Sommelier (pronounced /s?m??lje/ or suh-mal-'yAy), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all facets of wine service.

Which for the most part is true, but sommeliers can also be a breed of fun loving young men and women who also know how to enjoy a good drink-up, especially when it presents itself as a two-day pass from work and a bus ticket to the sun-drenched Okanagan.

Either way, the 19 savvy, boutique winery members of the Naramata Bench Wineries Association are well aware that it is the sommeliers, those good soldiers toiling in the restaurant front lines, who are in the direct line of communication with their wine purchasing customers, and who are in a position to strongly influence up to 30 percent of the market at the point of sale. This despite the fact that many of Vancouver’s top wine service staff, due to lack of time away from work, budget or opportunity, have yet to acquire any real first hand experience of the wineries whose products they stock on their winelists and recommend to diners daily.

Seeking to improve the quality of the sommeliers’ experience with Naramata wines, and to forge a stronger relationship with this group, the association recently produced their first "Naramata Unfiltered" Retreat (May 28-30). Comprised of winery tours, visits to the vineyards, tastings and seminars, it was designed to specifically meet the educational needs and job requirements of people employed in restaurant service – specifically sommeliers, and not the more usual restaurant owners, or even media (although, in this case, two members of the press, one local and one national, were included in the group as observers.)

Perhaps as media types, we were impressed most by how refreshingly low key was the marketing message aimed at the participants. The well organized two day schedule was devoid of pitches or press kits and instead layered the more serious educational elements with relaxed patio lunches, barbecues and a hysterically funny “Sommelier Olympics