Anthony Bourdain famously quoted: "Before you go to culinary school for God sake please go work in even an Olive Garden... any busy restaurant for a year. See if you can deal with the pressure. See if you like it. Because you may find that it's nothing like you imagined." The same is true for Somms that get certified and have little to no dining room floor experience. I have seen an abundance of new Somms (using the term loosely here) with certifications acquired online or certifications that require no practical experience marketing themselves to do private events, dinners, etc. this is highly damaging to our industry. Without the proper training on the dining room floor you miss out on vital components to be effectively hospitable and create memorable experiences. I urge you to stagier with a notable Sommelier or Bev program director, or go get a job doing the very thing you may be seeking to hustle up doing. The perception of what a Sommelier does will change, and harmfully so, if marketing pros, lawyers, real estate agents, finance pros, that are newly minted “Somms” keep performing as Certified or trained Sommeliers without the proper service training. It’s great to know classified growths and differences in crus of Burgundy. It’s cool to know all these details about soil structure and climatic influences in different regions. But if you can’t pair a wine with a dish or even worse if you are a Somm and don’t even bring a wine key to the event you are hired to work, you have failed! Not just at the event but you have failed all that have instructed you, all those that came before you, the industry, and the worst you have failed the guests that are in your hands for a sub par experience. They Will remember alright or even worse.. they won’t. That’s my soap dish today, love y’all, peace. Oh yeah this is def open for discussion. Don’t come for me for my run-on sentences either, I am passionate while writing this.

When you’re selecting a bottle, what are you actually going off of?

Hi everyone, I have a question for those who have experience on the production or brand side of wine. I’m currently building a concept that blends curated wine experiences with botanical wellness, and I’m exploring pathways to eventually introduce a wine component under my own brand. At this stage, I’m not looking to produce from scratch, but rather to understand: Which vineyards, wineries, or distributors offer private label or white label opportunities What strong partnership models look like when you’re still building alignment with your brand And what to be mindful of when entering this space without compromising quality or identity If anyone is open to sharing insight or pointing me in the right direction, I’d truly appreciate it.

Welcoming @Lucas Ricard, @Sinem Karuna and @Martha Bunch into the space 🍷 Glad to have you here. What have you been drinking lately? And if you’re new, what do you usually reach for?

I’m based in Mississippi one of the most controlled states for Alcohol Beverage handling. The news on our state handlings is discouraging and challenging and more. Anybody else in a control state like Pennsylvania or Utah? What are y’all’s blues how do you navigate them?