Tips for the Sommelier from Washington, D.C. Area Rising Star Sommelier Julie Dalton of Wit & Wisdom

Tips for the Sommelier

Be courteous and respectful with your sales reps. No buyer is big enough to jerk people around and make unreasonable demands.  

Don’t pontificate on wine theory at the table. Just because you have this really cool, tiny producer on your list and you got the only six bottles that made it to your state, doesn’t mean your guest will appreciate it as much as you do. 

Stop hating. It seems like it’s cool to hate on everything that isn’t a unicorn wine these days. It seems that it’s cool to hate on places like South America and new oak and wines that aren’t Riesling or Champagne. I get it—I love those wines, too, but that doesn’t mean that everything else sucks.