This month’s question for Wine Conversations has started its fair share of debate. It seems that everyone has an opinion on the role that AI plays in the enjoyment of wine. And we’ve all heard that joke about opinions and a**holes.
As Substack’s favorite Certified Sommelier (or at least your friendly neighborhood sommelier who’s also obsessed with movies), it’s time to contribute my lived experience to the conversation.
Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.
I think most people would agree that artificial intelligence cannot fully replicate the experience that a sommelier provides. AI search engines may be able to spit out some general thoughts or facts that would help aid in decision making, but even these search engines need to be trained to provide better, more personalized recommendations based on the person using the engine.
Which leads me to one simple conclusion: AI provides information. Sommeliers provide hospitality. Both have their uses, but the best sommeliers bring a wealth of information in a hospitable package to their guests at every opportunity. Quite frankly, an insinuation that a computer provides more specialized information and better service than a highly trained human is insulting to me and the things that I am working to achieve.
The brothers
started the conversation about artificial intelligence earlier this month. Their post includes the above prompt, with the addition of one word in quotation marks - Can AI replace the “humble” somm?The fact that the question has been amended to include that word in quotation marks is deeply troubling to me. Sommeliers are some of the most book smart and emotionally intelligent people I’ve ever met, and every single somm I’ve met is acutely aware of their role within their surroundings. One of the things I love about wine professionals is their enthusiasm for sharing what they know. Mentorship is strong amongst sommeliers (stronger than a lot of other industries, in my opinion), and in a field where people could easily get competitive over small things, I have found that those with the biggest pins and the highest bottle counts on their lists are also the people who actively listen to anyone who asks for guidance. From guests to fellow somms at all stages of the journey, those with the most knowledge share it generously and often. To say that the brightest minds currently working the floors of the best restaurants in the world are anything less than humble is a gross miscalculation of the profession and the people who nourish others on a daily basis.
Approximately a week after I passed my CMS Introductory exam, I found myself in my first blind tasting group. It was around that community table that I was first encouraged to take chances and make strong, wrong mistakes as I trained my palate. The group was led by a Master Sommelier who would go on to be my mentor, and most of the participants were prepping for either the Advanced or Master Sommelier exams. At one of my first sessions with this group, we had a special guest drop in - Mark Guillaudeu, now a Master Sommelier and two-time Best Sommelier in the USA. As I put Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah in the same initial conclusion, Mark genuinely nodded in agreement and asked me to elaborate on those three conclusions. When I encountered my very first Viognier, a 2019 “La Doriane” Condrieu no less, Mark took the time to explain what to look for in future examples of Viognier. As the Maya Angelou quote goes, I may have forgotten exactly what he said that day, but I will never forget the way he made me feel - validated, empowered, and smarter than I was when I entered the room.
That was about two and a half years ago. Guess who correctly blinded Condrieu Viognier at the Advanced Sommelier Course in Dallas last month. And guess who got to tell Mark in person afterwards.
Sommeliers work incredibly hard to amass a crazy amount of information about everything you could possibly imagine and more. From the merits of decanting vintage Champagne to the best cheap beer that pairs with grilled oysters (Modelo Negro, always and forever) to, yes, wine and movie pairings, sommeliers are endlessly curious about the world and constantly trying to spread the knowledge with anyone who will listen. There’s a reason why this particular field attracts the brightest minds in the world once they’ve conquered other industries; I’ve met lawyers, geologists, retired athletes, former Marines, and many actors, dancers, and musicians who have all found a home on the restaurant floor. Everyone has a unique perspective on the world of wine, and because it is literally impossible to know every single thing about wine, everyone’s opinion and expertise is valued.
Occasionally, I will ask someone a question to which I already know the answer - just to hear how they explain it, searching for a new perspective on something that I struggle to understand. One day, I hope to thoroughly explain the ins and outs of tasting Viognier as eloquently and memorably as Mark did for me. The one thing I can guarantee? The person who asks me to explain the typical characteristics of Condrieu will be someone searching for information wrapped in a package of hospitality.
Now, more than ever, the world needs hospitality. Sommeliers are so much more than wine geeks in suits. On any given night on the floor, in addition to wine service, we bus tables, crunch sales reports, taste potential BTG offerings with sales reps and winemakers, and serve as the ultimate utility player - all in the name of making the guest experience that much more memorable. Not every restaurant needs a sommelier, but every restaurant would benefit from having a utility player that takes on everything that a floor somm does in a day. The best sommeliers are determined to bring every guest an encyclopedic knowledge and a good time, even when the conversation pivots away from wine. Artificial intelligence may get close to that level of knowledge, but it will never have the soul of hospitality that is so prevalent in the industry.
As someone currently preparing for the Advanced Sommelier Exam, I am spending every possible minute of my time adding to my mental database. And because I know that I will be studying for the Master Sommelier Exam in the near future, I’m pushing myself to pursue true mastery in the world of beverages. Why? Because I want to bring a touch of hospitality and empowerment through knowledge to everyone I serve. Whether it’s through my words or my actions or my technically perfect bottle service, I feel a responsibility to be the change I want to see in the world, and it starts with my theoretical wine knowledge.
On my last day in Dallas for the Advanced Sommelier Course, I walked out of my room at the Holiday Inn Express in a freshly pressed Theory suit and my Certified Sommelier pin, accessorized with my signature red lipstick and gold (Latina-made) hoop earrings. In the lobby, I saw a girl no more than eight years old, her mother, and her grandmother - all dark featured and speaking in Spanish to one another. They all abruptly stopped and got stars in their eyes when they saw me cross the room and greet them with a friendly “Buenos días”. In a day and age when people with darker skin than me are being unnecessarily deported, I feel it is my personal responsibility to be a face of knowledge, warmth, and representation in a world that is actively trying to silence my voice and the voices of people who look like me. And my mere presence on a dining room floor in red lipstick and gold hoops tells guests that I am a human being with a big brain and an even bigger heart, with the only goal for the night - making sure every guest has a great time.
You think a computer can do all that?
Congratulations on completing the course and excited for all the wine expertise you’ll be sharing with us!!
Love this! Your perspective on the irreplaceability of hospitality and human connection really resonates (though the way you’ve framed our post makes it sound like we disagree with you). AI can certainly provide information, but there’s no substitute for the genuine warmth and uniquely human passion that sommeliers like you bring to the table. Good luck with your exam prep, you’re gonna kill it!