Wine Consultant Job Description
A wine consultant is a person who assists companies or individuals in tasting, appreciating and purchasing bottles of wine for either business purposes or personal consumption. While nearly anyone can be trained to become a top-rated wine consultant, the job can be quite demanding, and a consultant's responsibilities tend to increase as his experience in the field increases. If you love wine and meeting new people, becoming a wine consultant may be the the career for you.
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Responsibilities
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A wine consultant is responsible for selecting wines for an employer, often choosing vintages that pair well with menu items, wines that showcase a particular growing region or type of grape, or those that are appropriate for a given special occasion or party. A consultant must also understand the history of viticulture, as well as recent advances in the field. Most importantly, a consultant must have her fingers on the pulse of the industry and know not only what wines are popular now, but which varietals are likely to be in demand in the coming months or years.
Special Skills
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Language skills are among the most important special skills that will benefit a wine consultant. A working knowledge of French, Italian or German can be very helpful, as these are three of the most prominent wine producing regions in the world. An understanding of these languages ensures proper pronunciation and has the added benefit of making it easier to communicate with distributors, sommeliers and other wine industry insiders. A masterful command of English and public speaking skills are also needed, as a wine consultant must be able to accurately and precisely describe the characteristics of a given bottle of wine, as well as champion that wine's superiority before a large gathering of consumers. Those who possess a strong memory will be better able to recall details about numerous bottles of wine and explain each vineyard's history and growing methods.
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Education
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No formal education is required to become a wine consultant, particularly if you are self-employed. However, having at least a high school diploma or GED will help others to look more favorably upon you. In addition, it will benefit you greatly to take classes in wine appreciation or to follow a full sommelier course of study.
Possible Employers
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Wine consultants are often employed by restaurants, nightclubs, resorts, event planners, wine distributors/wholesalers, boutique wine shops and even wealthy individuals who have their own wine cellars. Rather than having one steady employer, wine consultants often juggle several clients at once.
Career Advancement
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Wine consultants can translate their skill set into a variety of other related careers. Logical career steps might include opening their own wine shop, becoming a full-fledged sommelier for a top-rated restaurant, writing a wine-related book or newspaper column, or even starting their own wine consulting firm and training the next generation of wine enthusiasts.
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References
- Photo Credit four wine glasses with white wine image by Arkady Ten from Fotolia.com
