Many people have no idea of what sommeliers or qualified wine experts do, much less how to pronounce the word sommelier [suhm-uhl-yey]. Sommeliers are most recognized as restaurant spirits & wine stewards and wine experts. They are extremely knowledgeable, highly trained wine professionals. In the past these spirits & wine experts traditionally worked in a fine dining, restaurants, and social clubs where they specialize in all aspects of wine and food pairings as well as formal spirits & wine service. Traditional sommeliers can be easily identified, either wearing the tastevin on a ribbon or chain suspended around their neck, or more simply by their sommelier guild pin on their lapel.
The role of the sommelier is changing with the times. Today wine educator and certified sommelier Tom DiNardo is a stellar example of a wine professional who branched out in becoming one of the nations most recognized spirits & wine appraisers and wine valuations experts. Today these formally trained sommeliers and educated spirits & wine professionals are doing far more than just providing formal wine service in fine dining restaurants. With increasing demands for professional services, sommeliers are now employed by wineries, distilleries, breweries, wine and spirits distributors, bars and lounges, wine shops, tasting rooms, wine consultants, specialty food companies, food and wine magazines, wine clubs, spirits & wines websites, Internet blogs, and individuals. Sommeliers, like Tom DiNardo, are increasingly becoming more involved as consulting wine experts in a number of new and evolving capacities such as providing spirits & wine appraisal, spirits & wine valuations, and providing expert witness testimony services.
Tom DiNardo and his staff of certified sommeliers and spirits & wine appraisers consult with our clients for their private dinners, social events, soirees, galas, nonprofit special event fundraisers, corporate functions, airline menus, ship provisioning, private cellar inventory stocking issues, and much more. Additionally, our spirits & wine experts will discuss spirits & wine collecting, appropriate wine storage methods; provide staff trainings, wine & spirits shopping consultation, and cellar building strategies.
Today Winery & Wine Appraisals sommeliers are contracted by various breweries, distilleries, and wineries to perform in the role and “Brand Ambassadors” or spokesperson for these professional spirits & wine establishments. Often this work begins with providing our clients with Professional Assessments (i.e professional tastings and reviews) of their product, and then publishing our findings for the public and consumers.
Our sommeliers will professionally staff your corporate or private food, spirits & wine events. These events may range from just a couple of hours up to corporate incentive or wine festival events lasting many days. Additionally our formally educated spirits & wine professionals provide decanting services, wine evaluations, bottle quality evaluations, wine education classes, cellar management services, and beverage management services.
As mentioned previously, the role of the sommelier has changed greatly. Today our company employ sommeliers as expert witnesses, insurance investigators, spirits & wine appraiser, and spirits & wine valuations experts. Our spirits & wine appraiser experts also perform winery appraisals, distillery appraisals, and brewery appraisals. Tom DiNardo is our senior wine consultant.
