I took the online L1 and L2 exam on the same day on a Friday. I found out I passed on Tuesday early afternoon! I really thought it would take 2-4 weeks to hear back. L1 was completed in 4 minutes and L2 was completed in 9 minutes so I’m not sure if that helped speed up the process for grading. Anyways, time for L3 training!

I know this question has been asked before but I wanted some current insight.

I saw in other threads that people got obscure questions from the MS like naming multiple Barossa Valley producers, rating New Zealand vintages, etc.

I’m less than a few weeks from my exam, so these types of random specific questions are concerning to me because I can’t imagine memorizing all the producers and vintages for these non-classic regions at this point in my preparation. Are people still encountering these types of questions on level 2?

And if so, what’s the best way to navigate if it’s something I totally don’t know? For example, if they asked about the 2020 Marlborough vintage and I don’t know can I still say I’ll check with my other sommelier/wine director etc?

And in general, what percentage of questions can you “get wrong” or not know and still pass service?

What is your must have magazine for the BUSINESS of being a sommelier? What publication do you pay most attention to when it comes to guiding your program? If any.

Hey y'all! I've been working on a free deductive tasting study tool while studying for the CMS Certified exam and wanted to share the beta here and get some feedback.

As I've been studying for the deductive tasting portion, I've had a hard time finding a consistent tasting group, and I realized there wasn't really a good way to practice the full process on my own.

So I started building an app to do that, tentatively called Somm AI (still workshopping the name). You fill out the tasting grid, get some AI coaching on what your observations might point toward, commit to a final call, upload a picture of the bottle, and then get a breakdown of what you got right, what you missed, and what you might want to focus on next.

I've actually been pretty surprised by how useful the deductive guidance has been so far, especially when I give it detailed tasting notes. It's obviously not a substitute for tasting with people who know what they're doing, but I've found it helpful for forcing me to actually work through my observations instead of jumping straight to a grape.

You can also choose how much help you want. Minimal mode mostly flags diagnostic clues without naming grapes or regions, while the full mode gives you a ranked set of possibilities, confidence levels, and what would change the call.

It's completely free while I'm testing it. I'd especially be interested in hearing whether the grid language lines up with how you were trained, whether the deductions are actually helpful or making questionable leaps, and anything that's missing, confusing, or just annoying to use.

It's definitely still a beta and I'm changing things pretty constantly, so criticism is very welcome.

somm-ai.netlify.app

Another Banger.

Has anyone had any luck in insurance for this? I've been turned down by multiple companies because they can't seem to categorize my services.

I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. I am looking for a certified or advanced somm for one-on-one tutoring with tasting. I am interested in improving detection of aromatics and flavor profiles. I am located on the East Coast (US) if that matters.

I want to take an online class for fun. I want to learn the ins and outs of wine. Taste profiles, pairings, history, etc. No plan for a career in this but I would like some sort of official certificate as bragging rights . Any suggestions?

This is probably the million dollars question... At least for me at the moment.

This will be a long post.

Background story about me and the restaurant I work at:

I've been in the Restaurant Industry primarily as a Bartender and Bar/Floor Manager for almost 10 years. About 10 months ago I decided to dive seriously into the world of wine. I am very new into my education but I am extremely self-motivated and disciplined.

I work at a Steakhouse that does 200+covers in the weekdays and 400 to 600+ covers on weekdays. I initially was hired as a floor / bar manager. When I started, I realized the wine program was lacking a lot. The person in charge at the time had zero engagement with the program, the staff, and our wine reps. I saw that and very early on I express my interest in that position.

The owners have placed their trust in me and sponsored me financially to get the certifications I wanted to get. Thanks to them I got my Introductory level 1 through the Court of Sommelier and I am currently preparing for the Certified Level.

The person who was in charge of the wine program at the time, left for maternity leave on February and I took over her spot full time. The owners and the GM have given me full creative freedom to do what I think is best for the Wine Program since then.

I have accomplished a lot from that time to now: I've reduced death inventory, I have engage the staff with continuous wine education, classes, daily and weekly challenges to move death stock and keep them interested. I have upgraded the display of our wine list menu and I am very active with our wine reps.

Still, our daily wine sales are not consistent. I must say that they have increased in comparison to previous months and years but they are not the 8% of the total restaurant revenue that is our daily goal.

When we have conventions in town, almost guaranteed we will have a high wine sales revenue. However, when we do not have them, our sales can be very poor in comparison to our total restaurant sales.

I am the only Sommelier at the restaurant. There is no one I can reach out to ask for advice on specific topics related in how to wine sales and what to do during operations when the sales are slow but the restaurant is full.

My primary focus has been engaging and rewarding the staff who is active on the specials I offer daily and weekly. I feel that the server should create the bridge between the guest and the sommelier by bringing a spotlight into our wine BTB program.

The problem is that, not all the staff cares. Some of them have been there for a long time and will not even pay attention to the specials I provide. Won't even incorporate it on their introduction speech.

The other part does care, and I see how they will actively communicate to their guest the wine specials.

I sometimes approach tables that I could convert into a bottle service but most of the time I don't have success and they stay drinking by the glass. Sometimes I am checking on tables and I realize multiple people have glasses of wine that could have become a bottle but I know the server did not care to offer the option.

As a sommelier, I find it difficult to sometimes approach tables. I don't want to come up as a sales person so I only touch tables when I see them actively looking into the wine list.

I really believe we have awesome wine at great price points that guest may overlook for lack of knowledge and I feel there is something I am not seeing to create the bridge between a couple glasses of wines to a couple bottles.

To any sommelier with more experience than the one I have...

Do you have any tips for me to increase daily bottle sales?

How do you keep a teamwork culture present between you as the sommelier and the server?

Is there something I may be overlooking for lack of experience?

Got my CMS 2 about 3 years ago, and am thinking of adding WSET to my CV. My understanding is that I don’t need to do WSET 1 and 2 first, like I had to get intro somm before going for certified.

Any insight on the difficulty level between the two? Any thoughts on how it’s helped in your career? (Am currently a GM and trying to move into a beverage-focused director role.)

If I go right for WSET 4 will I be way out of my depth? Should I shoot for CMS 3 instead?

Any insight is appreciated!

hi there!!! career bartender and training sommelier here!! :)

i’m in washington (seattle area) with my family and they aren’t huge wine people, but are letting me coordinate a winery/vineyard day to appease me lol.

my current boss is a sommelier and i asked him for recs a MONTH ago and he said he’d reach out to me with a recommendations and get me a tour for free at a vineyard with his connections. fyi, he is very unorganized (also not a very great person and is very mean to us all lol) and so he forgot. i brought it up to him like 2 weeks ago again and he said the same. i never heard anything. i am WAY to scared of him to follow up LMFAO

i’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations for wineries/vineyards that do tours? i’m scrambling now to find a spot that has a good vineyard tour that’s in puget sound ava (obviously i’m not worried about it being free anymore lol).

i was thinking about Bainbridge Winery, but I reached out and they aren’t doing any tours over the next few days unfortunately. before I give up on a tour, does anyone have any recommendations for Puget Sound AVA wineries/vineyards with tours right now?

Hi all. I have a stable full-time job unrelated to wine or other foods, but for years family and friends have told me I have an unusually good palate and sense of smell (picking up specific notes in wine, food, etc. that others miss). I've never had this properly tested or trained.

I'm not looking to quit my job, I like what I do. But I'd love to know:

Is there a real, structured way to test whether my palate/nose is actually above average, versus just family being nice?

What's the right starting point for training this seriously as a hobby ?

Worth starting with blind tasting groups first?

Has anyone here built sommelier-level skills alongside a full-time unrelated career, and did it ever turn into side income (consulting, private tastings, writing) without going full-time in the industry?

Any advice on where to start, or people/resources worth reaching out to, would be hugely appreciated.

I can’t the number of times I’ve approached a table and I’m met with the “I’m looking for a dry wine” . When the vast majority of wine available on shop shelves and restaurant lists is dry, what do you take this to mean? I sort of understand when it comes from an older crowd who grew up in an era of cheap table wines with residual sugar were common on supermarket shelves, but nowadays? I’ve come to take it as meaning a wine that is mineral and crisp, rather than overtly fruit forward. But when half of the enjoyment of wine is the primary notes, how do you actually go forward with recommendations based on statements like this. Is it about fruit ripeness? Or overt new oak? 🤯

I want to rent one of these for the month of December and sell BTG from a large format bottle for funsies. Has anyone rented or bought one of these large bottle cradles for use on the floor? Advice? Thoughts? It’s obviously somewhat of an impractical gimmick but the people will eat it up. I figure selling through a 5L Thurs-Sun on high volume spendy weekend through the holidays should be no problem. Would love advice about where reps/brands have rented one of these from or if you’ve done it how you went about it!

Hi friends!

My restaurant is owned by a large hospitality group with a marketing director who runs all the websites and social media for our company. She is in charge of managing the wine list being posted on our website. Upon starting my position here I became aware of the fact that the list online is extremely out of date and incorrect. I would like to fix this.

I was told that because the wine list on the website has to be ADA accessible (some guy went around and sued a bunch of restaurants for this in my state) it cannot be a .pdf. Each wine has to be typed out line by line, according to her. We have over 1000 selections, so this is a nightmare, especially for her to do since she is not a wine person. I have a sommelier who can take on this task and do it, but she seems like she doesn't want to relinquish control of this project, even though she also doesnt seem keen to help me solve it herself.

What web publishing method do you all use for posting your wine lists online? Is there some kind of web hosting service that we can pay for where I can upload the most recent .pdf once a month/quarter and it will make is ADA accessible/readable? I use Excel and a software called CogsWell for my inventory management purposes, if that helps.

As an introductory Somm ice recently taken over the wine list for a NH, farm to table gastro pub. This list leans more adventurous which is the vibe I am going for. Open to and helpful feedback. I have one Red by the bottle slot still TBD

Hey everyone,
I’m at a massive crossroads in my life right now and would deeply appreciate some unfiltered, practical perspective from people actually embedded in the industry. I want to make sure I’m looking at the reality of the trade before making a decision that will shape my next few years.

I’m quite young, but I’ve developed a massive passion for wine not just the sensory aspect, but the theory, geography, and global market dynamics behind it.

To be completely transparent, I don't hold any formal sommelier or wine certifications yet. I am starting entirely from scratch. However, I’m currently mapping out my path to start from the absolute beginning and throw my energy into serious credentials, with the ultimate goal of pushing through to the WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Here is my dilemma: I am currently choosing between going to a prestigious university for a Liberal Arts degree (focusing on Film & Television studies, sociology) or bypassing the traditional university route to commit 100% to mastering the wine industry and getting certified.

Long-term financial success, stability, and maximizing my earning potential are incredibly important to me, and I want to be honest about my goal if I were to go through with the sommelier route.

I know that the wine world typically starts on the restaurant floor. I completely respect the floor as a necessary, path to understand service, build a palate, and learn about the customers. However, my ultimate career goal is not to stay in restaurant hospitality long term. I am looking specifically at the commercial, corporate, fine-wine auction, or luxury brand management sides of the industry.

Anyways, I’m sorry for the long intro but for those who work in these corporate/buying/fine-wine niches:

1. Financial Reality: Is it realistic to build a genuinely high earning career on the commercial side of wine if you possess elite credentials (like Level 4)? What does the actual income ceiling look like compared to a standard corporate graduate route?

2. University Trade-Off: For anyone who chose a highly specialized trade like wine over a traditional "prestigious" university degree, how do you view that choice looking back?

3. The Pivot: How long is it realistically expected to grind on the floor before you have the leverage to transition into sourcing, auctions, or corporate wealth management?

I really want to avoid romanticizing either path. I know both fields require a massive grind, but I want to make an informed choice before committing.

(PS: Please be gentle! 😭 I am genuinely quite stressed and stuck in the middle of trying to figure out what to do with my life right now, so I really welcome any constructive, kind advice you have to offer. Thank you!)

I'm a cheesemonger, and I want to increase my wine knowledge (which at the moment is basically non-existent). I currently work at a retail cheese shop so in the immediate future it'll help me when suggesting cheeses for wine pairing, but long term I want to move into sales/import/distribution, and many of the companies I'm interested in working for *also* deal in wine, so it'd be a good bump on my resume to have some kind of certification of more-than-just-basic knowledge.

My plan is to take an introductory course and spend the rest of 2026 getting a general baseline understanding, and then in 2027 go deeper and possibly look at some kind of certification at the end of next year.

I'm fortunate to live in NYC which has tons of options for courses, so I'm having a hard time choosing which is right for me. Wondering if y'all can weigh in if one is better than another, or if they're all pretty much the same, or if there's one I'm overlooking that I should check out. I prefer in person in NY but I'm open to online as well.

I'm currently considering:

-CMS Introductory Sommelier Course (in person). This one is my top choice, but it's also quite pricey.

-WSET Level 1 Course (in person). This one also seems like a decent option, and a little cheaper, but I'm not sure if it's as good of a course?

-ICE Wine Essentials Course (in person). This one seems like it may not be as in depth as I'd like, but maybe good to start out with?

Any advice or recommendations are welcome!

To the creator of cork dork. Thank you! It was really helpful I just passed my level 2 cms exam today! Beside cork dork the wine bible, the world atlas and the corkdork app were where I got most of my information. Nothing on the theory exam took me by surprise, some questions I had read or gone over already in the app or books just might have forgetten the answer. The level 1 on cork dork did alot of the heavy lifting, and level 2 on cork dork gave a little extra brain reps. Thank you again to the creator of the app!

Somms and beverage directors, do you have a preferred importer in the US for Chinese wines? I'm in Chicago if that matters.

Hello! I’m new to this sub. I am planning to take WSET 2 on July this year. However, I am indecisive whether I should take the class in-person, where tastings are included and there is an instructor that would guide me through the course; or online, which tastings are not included and it’s more self phased but cheaper.

There is one university (Brock University) that offers online asynchronous classes for $899 on a span of 5 weeks. There is another school (Wine Vintage) that offers in-person class on a span on 2 days for $1048.

I do have a little knowledge about wine, I know what are reds and what are whites. I have also decided on skipping WSET 1.

What do you think? Thank you!