Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/15710
SEPTEMBER 2010 FOOD & WINE 44 FEATURE : HUSTLE AND FLOW A GROWING PROFESSION An expanding profession, there are numerous professional Sommeliers. A 2009 study by the Princeton Review estimated that about 10,500 Sommeliers are pouring wines across the United States. It's a male- dominated profession, with women accounting for only five percent of payrolls. The average work-week tops off at 40 hours, though most Sommeliers would good-naturedly argue that their work is never done. Also known as Wine Stewards, Sommeliers were once part of royal households. Considered court officials, they were tasked with wine supply and transport. Over the centuries their increasing expertise evolved into highly specialized jobs, involving matching food and wine, wine procurement, and maintenance of wine cellars. Depending on the level of certification, the knowledge of a modern-day Sommelier may extend to the history of a vintner, the science of wine fermentation, and restaurant service. Their duties now also encompass ever-changing wine and beverage programs, working closely with their restaurant's culinary teams, and in the midst of a national recession they face increased operational duties – accounting, promotions, and yes, even showing you to your table. "That's not likely to abate anytime soon," said Patrick Le Bras, general manager and Sommelier of Ristorante Da Vinci. "Before the economic climate changed, there were a lot of Sommeliers," said Le Bras, whose 34-year career in the restaurant industry includes 20 years of experience creating wine programs for establishments like downtown Los Angeles cosmopolitan Café Pinot and Westin South Coast Plaza's stylish Pinot Provence. "Every restaurant had a Sommelier. Now that the economy is bad, people are hiring people like myself." TODAY'S WINE MARKET It's not that people have stopped drinking. People drank more than ever during the Great Depression, and at greater risk during Prohibition. Today's discriminating wine drinker is more cautious about cost and they're looking for quality in affordable bottles, according to a consumer report released this spring by the Wine Institute a California wine advocacy and public policy organization representing some 1,000 vintners. In 2009, sales of California wines were flat, up a negligible 0.2 percent from the previous year. But, the retail value of those sales actually fell three percent to $17.9 billion. In other words, people are buying just as much wine, but looking for cheaper vintages. It's not uncommon for wines under $10 to score high marks from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate magazines, so cheaper doesn't always mean a bottle of Thunderbird in a brown paper bag. California-made wine sales may be up slightly in the U.S. where they saturate 61 percent of the domestic wine market, but globally California wine shipments are down 1.2 percent. So, who's drinking wine today? The answer lies in two unlikely bedfellows. Baby boomers have enjoyed wine for decades, and recent wine converts are from Generation Y, according to Wine Institute CEO and President, Robert P. Koch. RAYMOND GONZALEZ