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Oenologist and sommelier: same passion, diferent profession

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Oenologist and sommelier: same passion, diferent profession
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por Miximiliano Bao sumiller

Sometimes we confuse - or do not differentiate between - a sommelier and an oenologist. It is common to have more contact with the former, since the sommelier (French name) interacts with the end consumer by presenting the wine and serving it in a restaurant, giving advice in specialised shops, doing commercial work, giving training talks, directing tastings, or writing articles for specialised publications.

On the other hand, the oenologist is the "father" of the wines: he looks after the vines, decides when and how the grapes are harvested, controls all the processes in the winery and decides - after reaching an agreement with the sales team and taking into account the market needs - when the bottles will see the light of day in the shops.

     

 

 

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It is curious how everyone tastes wines differently: while the sommelier focuses his descriptions on aromas, textures, flavours, and balances, mostly when the wine is already on the market; the oenologist, on the other hand, imagines the wine from the vineyard and takes part in the whole process. The oenologist suffers the same way as his vines so, when they are hit by hail or when the drought is very severe; he tastes the musts in full fermentation, dreams about how it will grow with the pampering of the barrel, and even bottles it; then he sees how the boxes leave on the truck, and he focuses his efforts on the next vintage.

Winegrowers always have good stories: they look at the vines and tell anecdotes of seas that dried up, of calluses on their hands, certain tales of ancestors, tunnels, wars, plagues, and landowners. The oenologist likes to pull up a piece of earth and throw it into the air, he looks at the crunchiness of the pips to judge the ripeness of the fruit, and almost always has moments when his gaze is lost beyond the horizon.

 

   

 

 

The sommelier, for his part, does not live by wine alone: knowing about hams, cheeses or even cigars is part of his job. In the restaurant, he harmonises dishes with wines, beers, cocktails, distillates and even water, and he also gives advice on aperitifs and digestifs. The sommelier is usually the link between the oenologist and the client, translating technicalities and conveying consumer wishes for future projects.

Two professions united by the same vocation, father and teacher, ready to always give us the best of their work so that we can all enjoy a good wine.

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