Quotes About Sommeliers

TIDBIT: We interviewed so many Chicago sommeliers that we had occasion to learn that Oprah Winfrey's favorite Champagne is Cristal.

When I started in 1978, the greatest wine in Spain, Vega Sicilia, wasn't even imported to the United States. The alleged greatest Australian wine, Penfolds Grange, wasn't imported to the United States. There were no by-the-glass programs. Sommeliers were intimidating.

I only really fake it anymore with sommeliers who are being really snotty to me and I don't want to take their grief and so I try to do something to kind of throw them off or put them on the defensive, even if I don't know what I'm talking about.

On such a tight budget, how do sommeliers afford all the fancy wine and expensive dinners they advertise on their Instagrams? They don't. Often, they're posting a picture of a bottle that isn't their own but instead was served to a guest. Meals out are sponsored by large wineries who hope to influence their palates.