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

The sommelier, restaurateur, and Noma alum struck a balance between sophistication and spontaneity with his holiday tablescape for Vogue, employing sculptural objects and organic textures to set the tone. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2025

While working at the French Laundry, master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson met. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025

After Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 many of the vineyards were lost and, in some cases, were mined and destroyed by Russian forces, said Anna Eugenia Yanchenko, a Ukrainian cultural scientist, sommelier, and wine researcher specializing in the history of her country’s wine. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025

Here, Salcito acts as your personal sommelier with helpful tips about making sense of restaurant wine lists and bottle shop shelves, but also gets into more technical subjects like why winemakers are so stressed about climate change, and why soil type matters for vineyards. —Oset Babür-Winter, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Nov. 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

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