Is the 'Somm Life' In Trouble?

Well written piece by Levi Dalton for Eater chronicling the ‘challenges’ faced by Somms moving forward into the new year. It seems that there are specific challenges for those based in NYC that I was not familiar with (had not heard of that lawsuit, for instance), but most would seem to fit somms across the country.

There is even a ‘shout out’ to wine bulletin board, but not to WB in particular.

Cheers!

Interesting article by Levi. Thanks for the link, Larry.

W.R.T. WineBoards, he says: “In fact, “ITB” or “In the Business” posts from individuals who are in the wine trade are often received with skepticism, and with the assumption that the poster may be pushing some sort of business interest.”
This is a comment that I do not agree w/ at all. Though it could be just me. Maybe others do agree.
But I, personally speaking, value the contributions here that those ITB bring to WB. Most of the time, I think,
they’re just sharing their knowledge that they have a special perspective on. I wish we had more ITB here
making contributions.
It strikes me as a bit of a “the sky is falling” article for Somms. Not sure that is the case. Unfortunately,
where I live, I rarely get the opportunity to visit w/ truly competent Somms. But I take advantage of them when traveling, not so much their specific recs on a wine, but the opportunity to learn from them. I met Levi once in NYC and we had a very good exchange on “orange wines” that inspired me to pursue that genre much more than I would normally have.
Tom

Tom, as usual, excellent post. I would also like to give a shout out and thanks to the many people ITB who take the time to post here and do so honestly and honorably. I have learned a lot from you guys.

I have to say, a lot of the article seems kind of silly to me and it seems to come from a quite self-absorbed somm perspective.

The tipping section doesn’t make a lot of sense. Let’s see – there was a surge of somm hiring in NYC because they were tippable but could fulfill roles formerly occupied by managers that aren’t allowed to receive a share of tips under the law suit settlements. (I thought those tipping cases involved owners pocketing tips meant for employees.) Now some of those seemingly unnecessary or somm-in-name-only positions may be eliminated if the no-tipping concept spreads. Hmm. Seems a bit of a stretch. Plus, my sense is that, while the no-tipping concept has garnered lots of media attention, it has been adopted by few if any restaurants other than Danny Meyers’.

Then he says that somms touting their friends’ wines in the press has undercut the credibility of all somms. This seems downright ludicrous. Who are these press-craving somms? I have no idea who these people are. Never seen them discussed here. The idea that they (a) had any wide impact and (b) that the consumers who listened to them are now disillusioned by their shilling seems sort of grandiose and deluded.

It’s hard for me to see direct sales by wineries having any measurable impact on restaurant wines sales. That’s such a tiny fraction of the market and it doesn’t affect European or other foreign wines. And the suggestion that restaurants are at a disadvantage relative to their customers because they have to buy through distributors is a bit of a stretch. They can still buy at prices far lower than a consumer can. In most cases, direct winery purchases are a full list price. If his argument applies to any category of wines, maybe it’s cult/mailing list bottlings that are hard to obtain. But are those that essential to restaurant wine programs? And how many wines were there in the past where restaurants had an edge in obtaining them? Moreover, lots of wineries and distributors like restaurant placements as part of their marketing program.

The next argument – that hipster somms are turning off customers by promoting obscure wines seems to contradict the last point. Now he seems to be saying that somms are good at finding wines they can offer exclusively or nearly so. It sounds like he’s saying (a) it’s bad that it’s getting harder for somms to obtain and sell, say, Shafer Hillside yet (b) bad if he/she now offers, say, some offbeat Jura wine. (Economically, I’m sure the former is better for the bottom line, of course.)

Kind of sounds to me like Levi was having a bad day and was panicking.

My guess is that a lot of NY restaurants have hired too many somms in their efforts to expand and keep up with other restaurants and can now see that they can cut the number of somms back some without hurting sales. Reversion to the mean.

They should have a cup of coffee in my world.

There is a range of ITB styles on wine forums.

There are certainly plenty who actively avoid mentioning wines they sell or make, or when pressed will clearly declare their interest. These folks impress me.

There are some who subtly promote their own wines and some who criticise their competitors. Whilst they may feel they are close enough to offer genuine insight in both scenarios, for me I start to hang a question-mark over their words. They may be genuine opinions and they may be sound advice, but I will be taking those comments with a pinch of salt.

I wonder whether the reference to press-craving Somms may be a direct spin-off the thread here a few weeks ago. I suspect the spat may have been talked about quite a bit amongst NYC sommeliers (and beyond).

regards
Ian

The whole article seems very self serving.

As Glenn mentions, spend a day with most of us and we all endure problems related to markets, the web undercutting sales, competition etc.

Somms are there to provide a service, as with any service you have to roll with the times and with wine as all aspects of life information now flows more freely than ever before so the way to survive is to provide excellent service and show that add value. If you dont you become Kodak or VHS very quickly nowadays

This article was about as good as his Unicorn Wine article.

Well said and my thoughts exactly

Let’s not forget, these are appropriately couched as predictions and not statements of current fact. One thing did strike me as funny:

(Wineries) try to entice those buyers by offering mailing list-only wines, special limited releases, back vintages, and unique one offs that aren’t available in the open market. Those are exactly the kind of wines and special finds that used to go to sommeliers, but no longer do. It is those wines that sommeliers used to feature so as to stand out and make their own wine lists more distinctive. And the sommeliers are left out of the direct purchasing market entirely.

While private consumers are allowed to buy direct from wineries, restaurant sommeliers are not. They purchase through distribution.

Because that’s exactly what I’ve done. Aided by winemakers I met on this board or through visiting them, roughly 70% of all the wines sold are direct from the winery and often not current release. I’m providing unique access to wines the consumer, for all intents and purposes, can’t get. I’m pretty sure the number of restaurants pouring and retailers selling 2009 Matello Whistling Ridge Blanc by Marcus Goodfellow is 1. Me.

Anyhow, here’s another article with a slightly different spin.

That would alter the point of view quite considerably.

Interesting article but I too found it bit self serving. Somms are there to provide a service and not go into a silent shell (or worse) if you don’t take their advice. This has happened to me all too often. I really do like to learn new things and appreciate knowledge but don’t act like I have the plague if I dare to disagree. This seems to happen often when I reject the concept of certain “natural” and or "orange wines. They are not my cup of tea even if they look like it! Disagree, if you must, but don’t disparage my choices.


Cheers!
Marshall

Really enjoyed the ChefsFeed article by Lauren Friel. As others have commented, the one by Levi Dalton seemed self-centered, inconsistent and meanderingly difficult to follow.

I thought Levi Dalton’s piece rather missed the point. The major problem with many (note I’m saying many, not all) “sommeliers” in restaurants is that they put together boring or overly esoteric and/or overpriced wine lists. At some level, I don’t care HOW fantastic an individual sommelier is at knowing the minutia of some wine region; if the wines on their list are massively overpriced vs. retail in order to pay for the sommelier, they really aren’t doing me that great of a service.

Following up on Marshall’s point, some sommeliers (just like some retail folks) tend to forget that they are there to satisfy their customers and that their customers have diverse interests/preferences. So if the sommelier is just trying to force his/her wine agenda on me rather than finding out what kinds of wine I like, then the sommelier isn’t being very helpful to me. In other words, what sells at the adjacent table may not be what sells at our table.

Bruce

Agree with David Glasser - the 2nd linked article was much better than the original.

And I haven’t been there, but also took a look at the Pearl and Ash wine list - that is one serious list!

Myself and several other savvy collectors had no issues raiding the list and having a great night. Happily paid the billed we rung up too, as it was a tremendous night. The food really got out of hand more than the wine, it was too easy to order more

The commoditization factor or tidal wave of Somm hopefuls talked about in the article is a major culprit IMHO. I watched it happen in VFX and then in Animation.

I only eat at restaurants with somms on staff a few times per year, so take this with a grain of salt…

All things being equal, I’d rather eat at a restaurant that had a wine by the glass program that’s reasonably priced than one with somm(s) who earn their keep by higher markups on the wine. If I can taste more wine for the same $, then I’m totally fine if I swing-and-miss on some. However its doubly painful to have a recommended pairing only to realize its not my thing AND I paid twice retail for it. And so far I’d say my batting average is slightly better when I choose my own wines.

I’m all for easier wine discovery, but the ROI (return on investment) has yet to be there.

Personally I find that if a restaurant has an online wine list, people on this board can give advice/suggestions I trust well enough, and they are often more value conscious than a waiter/sommelier.

Both the articles / links are interesting, but don’t seem germane to my life, nor consumption patterns.