sommelier
Snapshot
Are you passionate about wine and enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? As a sommelier, you'll curate exceptional wine lists, guide guests through pairings, and elevate the dining experience.
Sommeliers are beverage experts, primarily working within restaurants, hotels, and fine dining establishments. Your day involves carefully managing wine inventory, ensuring proper storage conditions, and providing knowledgeable recommendations to patrons. You’ll build relationships with suppliers, stay current on wine trends, and contribute to the overall ambiance of the establishment.
- • Selecting and purchasing wines, considering factors like quality, price, and customer preferences.
- • Creating and maintaining wine lists, ensuring variety and balance.
- • Advising guests on wine selections to complement their meals.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Personal service workers — 86 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and 10 more.
Longest-running shortage: Bulgaria, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could sommelier fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Self-Control?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Future Outlook for sommelier
The outlook for sommelier is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 83%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could sommelier change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could sommelier change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- select glassware for serving
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- serve wines
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- check wine quality
- compile wine lists
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Hospitality, Events, & Tourism
A typical day as a sommelier
09 09:00 · Morning check wine quality
10 10:30 · Mid-morning prepare alcoholic beverages
12 12:00 · Midday assist customers
14 14:00 · Afternoon decant wines
15 15:30 · Late afternoon organise wine cellar
17 17:00 · Wrap-up compile wine lists
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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sparkling wines
The varieties of sparkling wines and their match with food products.
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wine characteristics
The origins and characteristics of international wines.
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select glassware for serving
Choose appropriate glassware for beverages and inspect glass quality and cleanliness.
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serve wines
Provide wine using proper techniques in front of the customers. Open the bottle correctly, decant the wine if needed, serve and keep the wine in the proper temperature and container.
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decant wines
Identify when wine should be decanted. Decant the bottles in presence of guests in a professional and safe way. Decanting especially benefits red wines. Pour wine from one container into another, typically in order to separate out sediment.
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comply with food safety and hygiene
Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.
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order supplies
Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
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organise wine cellar
Systematise the wine cellar to ensure an appropriate amount and variation of wine and carry-out efficient and effective stock rotation.
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upsell products
Persuade customers to buy additional or more expensive products.
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check wine quality
Control the quality of wines and report corked or spoiled wines and return them to suppliers.
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assist customers
Provide support and advice to customers in making purchasing decisions by finding out their needs, selecting suitable service and products for them and politely answering questions about products and services.
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maintain customer service
Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does sommelier fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for a sommelier?
- Beyond a deep understanding of wine regions, grape varietals, and winemaking techniques, strong communication and interpersonal skills are vital. You’ll need to be able to explain complex concepts clearly and confidently, and build rapport with guests. Attention to detail and organizational skills are also crucial for managing inventory and ensuring proper service.
- Is formal training required to become a sommelier?
- While not always mandatory, formal training and certifications are highly valued. Various organizations offer courses and credentials that can enhance your knowledge and credibility. Practical experience, such as working in hospitality, is also essential for developing your skills.
- What is the typical work environment for a sommelier?
- Sommeliers typically work in a fast-paced environment, often on their feet for extended periods. Expect to be in restaurants, hotels, or similar establishments. The work schedule can be demanding, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Sommelier — is there a shortage in Europe?
- Yes. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a shortage was reported in 14 of the 19 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany and 10 more. Bulgaria has reported one for 4 consecutive years. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Sommelier — what does it pay in the United States?
- $33,760 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $15,080 to $62,390. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.