Author: elBullifoundation (Bullipedia and Vila Viniteca collective work )
ISBN: 978-84-09-23850-7
Pages: 648
Synopsis: Sommelier is the theme of this fourth volume of Sapiens del Vino, a long-awaited book for two reasons. First, the available literature on this activity is limited; the second, the Sapiens Method, allows you to approach your writing from a holistic, modern perspective and rethink your Status quo. It is not a minor issue, because the disciplines of a more static and classic nature, such as sommelier, appreciate a shaking that allows a breath of fresh air. Discussing paradigm changes is not an easy issue and, consequently, it requires a great team. For this work there is a powerful team that combines specialists in science, business, philosophy, psychology and, of course, sommelier.
Formerly, there was a belief that only someone who worked in a gastronomic restaurant was a sommelier. Obviously, the sommelier has not cut this umbilical thread, far from it !, because sommelier and restaurant are indissoluble. However, at present, this figure has crossed the boundaries of restoration to other areas: commercial, journalistic, consulting, etc.
A sommelier, in his day to day, performs several basic functions. For the proper development of many of them you need to have a great knowledge of wines. For example, you cannot recommend a wine unless you understand the what, how and where of it. However, other functions have less to do with wine; a sommelier needs to know what a business is and how it works, otherwise it will not be able to enhance its profitability; You must be a good observer and understand your customers from a psychological perspective, to offer the ideal wine in each situation; It must be precise at mise-en-place, thereby avoiding unforeseen events and approaching excellence during service.
Service techniques and tools are covered in depth in this book. They are given an operational approach, but also a scientific vision. This is, in fact, one of the most brilliant sections of the book: the science of sommelier. The sommelier must also be a good salesperson, understanding the "best sale" as the one that most satisfies the customer. For this reason, an extensive chapter has been created that speaks, on the one hand, of the rhetoric of seduction and, on the other, of the economics of selling.
The most artistic and gastronomic function of the sommelier is pairing, a discipline that makes the most of the synergies between food and drink. Obviously, this work offers a detailed chapter and presents a novel classification on pairings.
Finally, the book ends with a chapter dedicated to the innovation and creativity of the sommelier. In it, it is understood, irrefutably, that creativity is not a field only reserved for the kitchen.
