Sommelier Job Description: Daily Duties and Responsibilities

The sommelier role occupies a defined professional position within the hospitality service sector, carrying responsibilities that span cellar operations, guest interaction, procurement, and staff education. This page maps the functional duties attached to the position, the operational contexts in which those duties are performed, and the professional boundaries that distinguish a sommelier from adjacent wine service roles. The sommelier profession is structured around credentialed expertise and service delivery, not simply product knowledge.

Definition and scope

A sommelier is a trained and typically certified wine professional employed within a hospitality operation to manage all aspects of wine and beverage service, selection, and inventory. The role is not limited to tableside service; it spans the full lifecycle of a wine program — from procurement and cellar management to menu integration and staff training.

The scope of the position varies by establishment type and size, but the core functional domains are consistent across contexts:

Wine list curation and procurement — selecting producers, setting price tiers, and negotiating with distributors and importers
Cellar management — organizing, cataloguing, and maintaining inventory under appropriate storage conditions
Table service — presenting wine lists, making recommendations, executing service protocols, and handling returns or faults
Food and beverage pairing — collaborating with culinary staff to align wine selections with menu offerings
Staff training — educating front-of-house personnel on wine fundamentals, service standards, and current list offerings
Vendor and distributor relations — attending tastings, managing purchase orders, and tracking vintage releases

The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) both publish competency frameworks that align closely with these functional domains, establishing the industry-standard baseline for what the role requires. CMS certification is structured across four levels — Introductory, Certified, Advanced, and Master Sommelier — each corresponding to increasing depth of service and analytical responsibility.

How it works

On a working day in a full-service restaurant or hotel, a sommelier's duties divide between pre-service preparation, active service, and post-service administration.

Pre-service duties typically include conducting a cellar check to confirm bin locations and par levels, briefing servers on featured wines or updated pairings, and reviewing reservations to identify table-specific needs such as special occasion selections or dietary restrictions flagged by guests.

During service, the sommelier moves between tables presenting the wine list, executing decanters and proper sparkling wine service where ordered, and managing pace alongside the kitchen's course timing. When a bottle is presented as faulty — oxidized, corked, or heat-damaged — the sommelier applies judgment under wine faults and flaws protocols to determine whether to replace it and whether to log it for credit with the distributor.

Post-service work involves updating inventory records, flagging low-stock items for reorder, and documenting sales patterns to inform future purchasing. In larger operations with a head sommelier and assistant sommelier structure, administrative tasks are often divided by seniority, with the head sommelier owning vendor relationships and the assistant managing floor service.

Alcohol service laws impose compliance obligations that run through all three phases. Under state ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) statutes, the sommelier bears direct responsibility for age verification protocols, service refusal decisions, and adherence to licensed premises rules — all of which are operational, not advisory, duties.

Common scenarios

Fine dining restaurant: A sommelier in this environment manages a list that may include 300 to 800 labels, oversees nightly table-by-table service for the full dining room, and participates in tasting menu development alongside the executive chef. Food and wine pairing principles are applied collaboratively at the menu-design stage, not only reactively at tableside.

Hotel wine program: In a full-service hotel with multiple dining outlets, the sommelier may oversee wine programs across 3 or more separate venues — a main restaurant, a bar, and a banquet department — with distinct inventory and pricing structures for each. Sommelier roles in hotels and resorts carry significantly broader administrative scope than single-venue positions.

Wine bar: At a wine bar, the sommelier functions simultaneously as the primary floor-service professional and as the programmer of a list designed for exploration rather than food accompaniment. Emphasis shifts toward educating guests and managing a high-turnover by-the-glass selection.

Private or freelance context: A freelance sommelier may consult on wine list development for an independent restaurant, conduct private cellar audits, or deliver corporate tastings. The scope of each engagement is defined by contract rather than institutional job description.

Decision boundaries

Distinct boundaries separate the sommelier's authority from that of other hospitality roles:

Vs. general floor staff: A server recommends from a pre-set menu; a sommelier has purchasing authority, can authorize bottle replacements, and holds analytical responsibility for program quality.
Vs. beverage director: In large hospitality groups, a beverage director manages the overall program strategy across multiple properties, while the sommelier executes that program in a specific venue.
Vs. wine steward: The sommelier vs. wine steward distinction centers on certification and scope — a wine steward typically handles physical service tasks without the broader procurement or curatorial responsibilities.

The sommelier salary structure in the US reflects these decision-tier differences, with head sommeliers at fine dining establishments earning compensation tied to the revenue and complexity of the programs they manage.

References

Explore This Site

Services & Options Key Dimensions and Scopes of Sommelier Regulations & Safety Regulatory References FAQ Sommelier: Frequently Asked Questions Overview Sommelier: What It Is and Why It Matters