What is a sommelier and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a sommelier. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.51 an hour? That's $40,584 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 197,000 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreSommelierUS Average
Salary
3.2

Avg. Salary $40,584

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.2

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 8.96%

Black or African American 11.25%

Hispanic or Latino 21.52%

Unknown 5.97%

White 51.41%

Gender

female 31.73%

male 68.27%

Age - 25
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 25
Stress Level
6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Sommelier career paths

Key steps to become a sommelier

  1. Explore sommelier education requirements

    Most common sommelier degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.0 %

    Associate

    14.7 %

    Master's

    9.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific sommelier skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Wine43.52%
    Fine Dining12.93%
    POS5.41%
    Culinary5.33%
    Spirits3.79%
  3. Complete relevant sommelier training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sommeliers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sommelier based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sommelier resumes.
  4. Research sommelier duties and responsibilities

    • Manage sales and inventory for premier wine destination restaurant.
    • Wine, spirits and fine products sale.
    • Direct guest interaction and up-sell of wine and spirits.
    • Inventory, purchasing and cost control monitoring, transaction reconciliation, POS programming, payroll, sommelier work.
  5. Prepare your sommelier resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sommelier resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sommelier resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Sommelier Resume templates

    Build a professional Sommelier resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sommelier resume.
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
    Sommelier Resume
  6. Apply for sommelier jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a sommelier job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Sommelier Job

Zippi

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Average sommelier salary

The average Sommelier salary in the United States is $40,584 per year or $20 per hour. Sommelier salaries range between $24,000 and $68,000 per year.

Average Sommelier Salary
$40,584 Yearly
$19.51 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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