From Wine Steward to Beverage Manager: How the Sommelier's Job Was Rewritten

Ask what a sommelier does and most people picture a wine expert hovering tableside. That picture is out of date. The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas describes today's sommelier as a leader of wine service who is "often responsible for the entire beverage selection, including beer, sake, spirits, and cocktails." The job has expanded from managing a cellar to running a full beverage program — and that expansion has opened career paths far beyond the restaurant floor.

The Sommelier's Journey: From Cellar Master to Beverage Professional

The title has humbler roots than the velvet-lined wine cellar suggests. According to Augusta Vin, a Fredericksburg, Texas winery that has documented the profession's history, the old French term "bete de somme" meant "a beast of burden," and a sommerier was a herdsman. Later the word evolved and the role grew more specialized: sommeliers handled French royalty's baggage during travel, and in the homes of lords they chose wines, desserts, and table settings — even using a tastevin to test the lord's wine and food for poison.

The modern restaurant role arrived after the French Revolution, when chefs displaced from aristocratic households opened their own establishments. In that wine-loving society, restaurants needed beverage professionals and began hiring wine experts then called "wine stewards." Augusta Vin notes these early stewards held little prestige; they were often cooks who had failed at cooking and were put to other tasks.

Defining the Modern Sommelier: Beyond Wine Expertise

The contemporary definition stretches well past wine lists. Per the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas, a sommelier uses their skills to create wine lists, coordinate food pairings, facilitate wine education, and craft an elevated dining experience — with the entire beverage selection, from beer to sake to spirits and cocktails, falling within their responsibility.

That breadth is now baked into formal credentialing. The Court's Certified Sommelier Exam Guide asks candidates to "describe ingredients, mixers, and garnishes of standard classic cocktails," citing examples from the Mojito and Negroni to the Margarita and Old Fashioned, and to "recommend example producers of major beer styles of the world, sake, aperitifs, spirits, and liqueurs." The organization's Hospitality & Service Exam Standards state plainly that, in addition to wine expertise, sommeliers are expected to have "a comprehensive understanding of spirits and cocktails," including ingredients, preparation methods, and presentation standards.

Traditional Wine Steward vs. Modern Beverage Manager: A Comparative Look

Setting the historical record beside the current professional standards shows exactly where the role widened. The comparison below contrasts the post-Revolution wine steward with the modern beverage professional as defined by the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas and reflected in its exam materials.

The pattern across the table is consistent: every category that once revolved around wine alone now spans the whole beverage program. Wine knowledge remains the profession's core, but it is no longer its boundary.

Diverse Career Paths for Sommelier Skills

The same broadened skill set travels. SOMM, a sommelier career resource, distinguishes the restaurant sommelier — who provides tableside recommendations, teaches staff, updates the wine list, and meets with distributors — from the wider field the profession now occupies. The Institute of Culinary Education reports that roughly 70% of sommeliers, per Career Explorer, still work in traditional hospitality settings, but its reporting found today's wine experts thriving in retail, distribution, education, and digital media. The Sommeliers Choice Awards similarly notes sommeliers now work in wine bars, boutique wineries, and online platforms, expanding access to expert advice beyond upscale restaurants.

For someone weighing the profession, at least three paths now sit outside traditional restaurant service: distribution and importing, where sommeliers meet with producers and buyers; education and writing, from teaching to digital media; and retail and e-commerce, where consumer-facing expertise drives sales. Winery work adds another. Credentials exist to support the move — the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas is one such body, alongside other certification organizations — though their specifics are beyond this article's scope.

Embracing the Evolved Sommelier Role

Aspiring and current sommeliers should prioritize developing expertise across a full spectrum of beverages, including spirits, cocktails, beer, and non-alcoholic options, to remain competitive and unlock diverse career opportunities. The profession's own institutions have already moved there: the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas tests spirits, cocktails, beer, and sake knowledge, and industry reporting documents sommeliers building careers well beyond the dining room. The measurable indicators to watch are the increased inclusion of non-wine beverage categories in job descriptions for sommelier and beverage manager positions, and continued updates to professional certification curricula reflecting broader beverage knowledge. Duties still vary by establishment and region, but the direction of the role is unmistakable.

Sources

• What Does a Sommelier Do? Role & Skills — The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas
• History of Sommeliers - Articles Augusta Vin - Fredericksburg TX Winery
• Mastersommeliers: Certified Sommelier Exam Guide
• Mastersommeliers: Hospitality & Service Exam Standards
• How to Become a Sommelier: Career Path, Salary & Training
• The $80+ Billion US Wine Business Is Sustained By These Certified Sommelier JobsE — ICE
• The Influence Of Sommeliers On Wine Trends And Consumer Preferences — Sommeliers Choice Awards