I'm a cork dork. I help people chose the right wine for their meals! I also educate people about wines and viticulture. And of course I taste a lot of wines.

EDUCATION | Diploma "Sommelier Conseillea" from l'Universit du Vin, in Suze la Rousse, France

HOW TO GET STARTED | While it's a lot of fun, it's also a lot of hard work, so you better love wine, and what you're doing, or you'll never go anywhere. Besides that, school is always a good way to educate yourself about wine, but it's not necessary as you can pass the Master Sommelier exam and get certified. The younger you start, the better. You should like to read, because you're reading all the time, magazines, books, vintage notes, geography and topography, and even reading about weather patterns, plants, soil contents, climate, and on and on. I highly recommend doing an internship as well as traveling as much as you can to the various wine regions around the world. You have to be very ambitious and confident, because in this field, there's so much to know. But, be humble as well, or nobody will ever bother to help you learn.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Love wine and travel! Extravert. Patient. Intuitive. Driven for making sales. Confident yet humble.

how I got started | I was at a restaurant in France having a celebration meal with my parents and there was this American guy working there who made us the most amazing wine pairing. I already had a background in cooking, which is why I went to France, but once I was there, I just fell in love with wine. I had learned the French language already, so I went and did a 5 month internship at that same restaurant to see if this was what I really wanted to do. I was definitely hooked, so I decided to go to school to study wine and viticulture. From there I went to New York City and then on to San Francisco.

why this job?| I have a serious love of wine, and I love getting to learn about different cultures where wine is a part of the people's history and identity. I also love to travel, and to really know wine, you've got to travel to vineyards.

why I love this job!| I get to interact with people in a way that makes them pretty happy. Who doesn't like the person who brings you your wine? I also love that I get to taste so many wines, and a lot of really rare wines too. I love to travel to the world's different wine regions and learn about wine and viticulture from the down-to-Earth farmers who are working the land and producing amazing wine.

my typical day| I get into the restaurant at about 2 in the afternoon and start by organizing the wine cellar and checking sales from the previous night. Then I'll meet with some wine distributors and wine makers to taste the different wines they want to sell us, or any new products they're offering. After that I spend some time working on the hard copy wine list, making sure our daily inventory matches the wine list, it's a detailed process that ensures we always have an up-to-date list. About a half-hour before opening we have a front-of-the-house staff meeting where we go over chef's specials, upcoming menu changes, any VIPs we should know about or special customer requests. During the meeting I also go over any changes in the wines so the servers know everything that's going on. As the doors open and guests start arriving I shift to service mode. In a way, I'm like the sales-guy who talks with all the customers about our wines, educating them about wine in the process, and recommending wine pairings to go with their meal. Once a week I also conduct a wine education class for members of the staff.

what they are | Well, it's a sales job in a way, so it can be challenging to meet your quotas. There can also be a lot of paperwork that's pretty detailed. Also, it can sometimes be a challenge to deal with people who want to make this world of wine seem more snooty than it really is, I think that puts people off. Working in the restaurant industry, you're always working when your friends are having fun. If you choose this career path, you're free time is the inverse of everyone else's, at least in restaurants, it's not a 9 to 5 gig.

all about growth | Not long ago, America, outside of California, wasn't a big wine country. All that's changed, Americans now consume more wine than anyone else. There's a lot you can do as a Sommelier, besides working in a restaurant. You can branch out into wine consulting, education, cruise ships, Wine and Beverage Directorships for large organizations like international hotel chains and high-end restaurants, Rep for wine makers and distributors, importer/exporter, writing, catering, and maybe even owning your own vineyard.

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