Sommelier
Working along with the culinary team, they pair and suggest wines that will best complement each particular food menu item.
This entails the need for a deep knowledge of how food and wine, beer, spirits and other beverages work in harmony.
[2] Though sommelier is a job title potentially anyone may claim, becoming a professional certified sommelier often requires some combination of experience, training, formal education (a bachelor's degree is not required, but individuals may do a two-year associate degree), classes and examinations.
[7] The International Wine Guild was founded in 1998 and is approved and regulated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
[citation needed] The National Wine School was founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
[9] The school offers ANSI-compliant professional certification for the wine trade in the United States.
The approach and role of the association developed throughout the years as it lost its autonomy by merging with the Mutualité Hôtelière in 1959.
[12] In the same year the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) was created and federated other organisations in the world,[14] and in 1970 the old UDS was renamed in Union de la Sommellerie Française, UDSF, which supervises today the 21 regional associations in France (including ASP).
[15] The title of Mention Complémentaire Sommellerie (MCS) and Brevet Professionnel de Sommelier (BP)[16] can be achieved studying for many different approved providers, and the final qualification of Maître Sommelier[17] can be achieved after an accurate career assessment, requiring at least 10 years of professional experience.
AIS / WSA is famous worldwide for its technical tasting approach and methodology, patented food & wine pairing technique, publications, service standards and three-levels course structure which leads to the Certified Sommelier qualification.
Despite this, many sommeliers choose to earn these qualifications due to similar curriculum and the WSET's structured approach that allows one to gain knowledge through tutored coursework.
The Association de la Sommelerie Internationale (ASI) organizes the World’s Best Sommelier Contest every 3 years since 1969.
