In June, five international water sommeliers judged the second water tasting competition in Guangzhou, China. They swirled, sniffed, and sipped about 70 different brands of the simplest beverage on earth and awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals.
One of them was Martin Riese, the first and only water sommelier in the U.S. who does exactly what a wine somm does, but with water—understanding its taste complexities, selecting a list of waters from around the world for a restaurant, and pairing them with food. “Most people,” he says tartly, “are doing water wrong.”
A Global Trend
You can roll your eyes, but this is a real job, and one of many: A whole new wave of sommeliers pour beverages other than wine.
As the image of somms has gone from snooty and supercilious to glamorous and hip, the world’s 236 master wine sommeliers have become bona fide celebs, like Michelin-starred chefs.
No wonder “somm” is fast becoming the shorthand for just about any knowledgeable specialist in a restaurant who traffics in quaffable tastes and aromas and advises on what goes best with what. Calling yourself a tea somm, for example, underscores the idea that tea deserves the same respect as wine—especially when top examples cost as much as $1,000 a pound.
Do master somms, who pass rigorous exams to earn their status in the wine world, approve? Their Washington, D.C., symposium a couple of weeks ago featured a discussion on somm expansion.
“It proves people are finally comfortable with us—it’s the highest compliment,” says John Ragan, wine director for Union Square Hospitality group.
Pascaline Lepeltier, who presides over wine at newly reopened Rouge Tomate, is flattered and points out that sommeliers originally had a wider role at the table than just wine.
But Geoff Kruth, president of GuildSomm is less than enthused. “Terms like water sommelier or even towel sommelier —I’ve actually seen this—strike me as more farcical than relevant,” he e-mailed.
My take? I think they’re all here to stay. Here’s why, and some styles of somm you may soon need to know.
Cider
“The term gives professionalism to any beverage,” says Dan Pucci, the cider director at New York’s Wassail restaurant (and a wine somm, too). “Serious craft cider is so new people don’t know much about it yet.” He evaluates examples the same way he does wine: “I look for balance, sweetness, fruit, tannin, acid, and structure.”
“Pommelier” has been tossed around jokingly as a possible cider version of sommelier, but the U.S. Association of Cider Makers, which just launched a certification program, hasn’t yet decided what to use.
Pucci’s favorites: Redbyrd Orchard ($15-$20) and South Hill ($15-$30) ciders from the Finger Lakes.
Tea
In 2014, Hong Kong got its first tea sommelier, Kelvin Ng. He introduced the six-course tea-pairing menu at two-star Michelin restaurant Yan Toh Heen.
His New York counterpart, former wine somm Christopher Day, curated the tea menu at Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and says fine tea is every bit as complex, subtle, diverse, and nuanced as fine wine. (I concur.) He studied with Chas Kroll, head of the International Tea Masters Association, who has trained hundreds of experts.
Day’s top tea pairing: Dongfang Oriental Beauty oolong ($90, 1 lb.) with cherry almond cake.