sommelier

noun

som·​me·​lier ˌsə-məl-ˈyā 

plural sommeliers ˌsə-məl-ˈyā(z) 

: a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service : a wine steward

Examples of sommelier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its sommelier, Hailey Pruitt, and bar director Lauren Beckman also won the Michelin Outstanding Service Award. Leche de Tigre opened in February 2023 and had garnered plenty of local and national acclaim. —Madalyn Mendoza, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025

The hotel’s guest experience team can help arrange anything from visits to Champagne houses, some of which aren’t open to the public, to sommelier tastings in the Salon Fines Bulles. —Meredith Lepore, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2025

Founded by the state’s first whiskey sommelier, Melissa Scarborough, this cozy downtown spot boasts the largest whiskey selection in the area, a wide range of local beers, an ever-expanding wine list, and a comprehensive craft cocktail menu. —Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025

Kazutaka Ozawa from Crony (no.30) in Tokyo was recognized as the best sommelier in the region. —Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French soumelier official charged with transportation of supplies, from Old French, pack animal driver, probably alteration of *sommerier, from somier pack animal, from Medieval Latin saugmarius, from Late Latin sagma packsaddle — more at sumpter

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Video

How to Read a French Menu

How to 'amuse-bouche' without begging pardon for your French