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 Ranch at Rock Creek Philipsburg, Montana Set on 6,000 acres in Montana, The Ranch at Rock Creek offers unexpected amenities like a 2,000-square-foot spa and ranch sommelier to go along with the usual dude ranch activities like horseback riding, fly-fishing, hiking, biking, and archery. —Julie Bielenberg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026

Sample it all at one of the hotel’s restaurants, pick up provisions at the adjoining gourmet shop, or head into the cellars for a private tasting, where sommeliers preside over more than 10,000 bottles, many of them rare. —Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2026

Make room, at least once, for a wine pairing courtesy of Scott Cowan, Fogo’s entertaining sommelier, which might include an aromatic Scheurebe from Nova Scotia or a 1935 Tawny port. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026

Each dish is expertly paired with a wine chosen by the knowledgeable and charming sommelier, Victor. —Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 19 Mar. 2026

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

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