{"id":100592,"date":"2025-07-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winemag.it\/sommelier-one-of-us-how-to-stop-being-afraid-of-them\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:21:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T07:21:37","slug":"sommelier-one-of-us-how-to-stop-being-afraid-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winemag.it\/en\/sommelier-one-of-us-how-to-stop-being-afraid-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Sommelier, One of Us: How to Stop Being Afraid of Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few simple rules to understand that, ultimately, they&#8217;re not an alien but a human. And that, above all\u2014unless they&#8217;re an egomaniac\u2014they&#8217;re on our side. Because wine is that serious thing around which we can have a lot of fun. All together.   <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\r\n<div class=\"align wp-block-bssb-social-share\" id=\"bssbSocialShare-1\" data-attributes=\"{&quot;socials&quot;:[{&quot;networkType&quot;:&quot;socialNetworks&quot;,&quot;network&quot;:&quot;facebook&quot;,&quot;isUpIcon&quot;:false,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;class&quot;:&quot;fab fa-facebook-f&quot;,&quot;color&quot;:&quot;#1877f2&quot;},&quot;upIcon&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:null,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}},{&quot;networkType&quot;:&quot;socialNetworks&quot;,&quot;network&quot;:&quot;linkedin&quot;,&quot;isUpIcon&quot;:false,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;class&quot;:&quot;fab fa-linkedin-in&quot;,&quot;color&quot;:&quot;#0a66c2&quot;},&quot;upIcon&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:null,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}},{&quot;networkType&quot;:&quot;mobileMessenger&quot;,&quot;network&quot;:&quot;whatsapp&quot;,&quot;isUpIcon&quot;:false,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;class&quot;:&quot;fab fa-whatsapp&quot;,&quot;color&quot;:&quot;#25d366&quot;},&quot;upIcon&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:null,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}}],&quot;align&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alignment&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;theme&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;background&quot;:{&quot;color&quot;:&quot;#0000&quot;},&quot;size&quot;:&quot;28px&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;14px&quot;,&quot;padding&quot;:&quot;10px&quot;,&quot;margin&quot;:&quot;10px&quot;,&quot;border&quot;:{&quot;radius&quot;:&quot;50%&quot;},&quot;shadow&quot;:[],&quot;direction&quot;:&quot;row&quot;}\">\r\n\t<div class=\"bssbStyle\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\t<ul class=\"bssbSocialShare\">\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<li class=\"icon icon-0\" data-social=\"facebook\" \t>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<li class=\"icon icon-1\" data-social=\"linkedin\" \t>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<li class=\"icon icon-2\" data-social=\"whatsapp\" \t>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-whatsapp\"><\/i>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\r\n\t\t\r\n\t<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear <strong>sommelier<\/strong>, I&#8217;m not afraid of you. A few simple rules to understand that, ultimately, they&#8217;re one of us. A human. And that, above all, unless they&#8217;re an egomaniac, <strong>they&#8217;re on our side<\/strong>. In the <strong>relationship between sommelier and restaurant customer<\/strong>, too many misunderstandings still lurk. The professional figure is often perceived as distant. Or, worse: <strong>judgmental<\/strong>. Overcoming prejudices and reestablishing an <strong>authentic, human, and useful<\/strong> connection with the person guiding the tasting, through food-wine pairing recommendations, can become a fun game, capable of further enriching an evening. From both sides of the bottle. And of the &#8220;uniform.&#8221;         <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-ebbd8add\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>NO MORE FEAR: THE SOMMELIER WON&#8217;T BITE<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sommelier isn&#8217;t there to intimidate: neither at the restaurant, nor at the tasting tables of a wine event. They&#8217;re <strong>a professional at the service of customers and guests<\/strong>, with the task of guiding them in their wine selection. The problem is that, too often, they&#8217;re perceived as a <strong>stern judge, ready to weigh knowledge and tastes<\/strong>. The distance widens. And communication breaks down. The first rule for humanizing the sommelier is to <strong>accept their role: not superior, but complementary<\/strong>.    <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-0ef1bc21\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>SPEAK CLEARLY, EVEN ABOUT EMOTIONS<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s true, on the other hand, that technical jargon, when used excessively, creates barriers. The sommelier should be able to <strong>read the context and adapt their language<\/strong>. Speaking simply doesn&#8217;t mean dumbing down, but being inclusive. The customer, for their part, shouldn&#8217;t be afraid to express what they feel, even using non-canonical words. Empathy is the common ground on which to build an <strong>effective dialogue<\/strong>.    <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-37df68f1\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>THE GAME OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wine service cannot become a monologue. The sommelier must ask questions, listen, interpret. &#8220;What wine do you like?&#8221; can be enough to open up a world. The customer, on the other hand, shouldn&#8217;t be afraid to ask questions, even basic ones. <strong>Asking is not synonymous with ignorance<\/strong>, but with interest. <strong>The relationship is built through dialogue<\/strong>, not unilateralism.   <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-cb2eed3f\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>FREE FROM PREJUDICES, ON BOTH SIDES<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many customers fear that the sommelier will judge their choices. It&#8217;s an often unfounded prejudice. Similarly, the sommelier cannot afford to think that the average customer is uninterested or incompetent. <strong>Erasing mutual stereotypes is essential<\/strong> to restore spontaneity and trust.  <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-d7e9e92a\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>KNOWLEDGE, BUT ALSO LISTENING AND AVAILABILITY<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being an expert isn&#8217;t enough. The sommelier must know how to work the dining room, read the table dynamics, pick up on signals. They&#8217;re <strong>a figure of mediation, not imposition<\/strong>. Those serving wine must enhance the customer&#8217;s experience, putting their expertise at the service of the moment. Without overshadowing it.    <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-be8c2b7e\"><h5 class=\"uagb-heading-text\"><strong>WINE AS A CONNECTION, NOT AN OBSTACLE<\/strong><\/h5><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ultimate goal is not to demonstrate how much you know, but to <strong>make those seated at the table feel good<\/strong>. Wine becomes a bridge between sensibilities, desires, cultures. If sommelier and customer manage to meet on this ground, the result is an authentic &#8220;relationship&#8221; that enriches both. Humanizing this professional figure means restoring\u2014even before potentially requesting their assistance\u2014their truest function: <strong>acting as a bridge between the bottle and the person<\/strong>. That&#8217;s how it should be: sommelier, one of us. No ifs, ands, or buts.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:0px\">Sommelier, One of Us: How to Stop Being Afraid of Them. <a href=\"https:\/\/aisitalia.it\/\">Italian Sommelier Association<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fisar.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fisar<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bibenda.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Italian Sommelier Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few simple rules to understand that, ultimately, they&#8217;re not an alien but a human. And that, above all\u2014unless they&#8217;re an egomaniac\u2014they&#8217;re on our side. Because wine is that serious thing around which we can have a lot of fun. All together. Dear sommelier, I&#8217;m not afraid of you. A few simple rules to understand [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82746,82271],"tags":[83299,83302,85995,86004,86009,86001,86006,85998,83298,83066,85992],"class_list":["post-100592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-wine-news","tag-davide-bortone","tag-editorial","tag-events","tag-food-wine","tag-one-of-us","tag-pairings","tag-professional","tag-restaurant","tag-sommelier","tag-wine","tag-wine-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sommelier, One of Us: How to Stop Being Afraid of Them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A few simple rules to understand that the sommelier is not an alien, but human like us. 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