Pour Decisions: A Day in the Life of Your Private Sommelier

Ever wonder what actually happens when you book a private sommelier? Is it just a guy showing up with a fancy corkscrew and some opinions? (Okay, sometimes it is a little bit that.) But September always gets me thinking about the behind-the-scenes side of this job, because as soon as the kids are back in school and the pool floats get put away, my phone starts buzzing again with people ready to host! So let's pull back the curtain a little, shall we?

It always starts with a conversation, not a bottle. Before I ever touch a single cork, I want to know you — what you love, what you're scared of ordering at a restaurant, whether you think tannins are a personality trait (they are not, but I love the confidence). Some clients want to relive a honeymoon in Tuscany. Some just want to stop feeling embarrassed at their in-laws' dinner table. Either way, my job is basically part detective, part matchmaker, and part hype man for whatever's in your glass!

Then comes the sourcing, which is where I get to nerd out in ways that would honestly bore most people at a party (my wife has heard more about Loire Valley Chenin Blanc than any human should have to). I'm digging through small producers, calling distributors, and occasionally sweet-talking a Virginia winemaker into setting aside a case before it sells out. This is the unglamorous part nobody sees — spreadsheets, phone tag, and a truly unreasonable number of tasting notes typed into my phone at stoplights. Worth it every time, though, because showing up with a bottle you can't find anywhere else? That's the good stuff.

Tasting day itself is where the theater comes in! There's a rhythm to it — the reveal, the swirl, the "just breathe it in for a second before you even sip," the dramatic pause while everyone pretends to detect notes of "leather" with total confidence. I love that moment when someone who swore they only liked one kind of wine suddenly falls hard for something totally different. That's the whole job, honestly. Not being the smartest person in the room — being the reason everyone leaves the room a little more curious than they walked in.

And then, sneakily, cellar work and procurement calls keep humming along in the background — restocking someone's rack before a big anniversary, hunting down a birth-year bottle, making sure nothing's aging past its window. It's quiet work, but it's the part that keeps the fun part fun.

So that's the not-so-secret life of your neighborhood private sommelier! If autumn has you thinking about hosting again — a dinner party, a cellar refresh, or just an excuse to finally understand what you're drinking — I'd love to be part of it. No pressure at all, just add a sommelier to your contacts, and we'll take it from there!