SO, YOU THINK YOU WANT TO BE SOMMELIER?!

It was totally irressistable, coming up with this title ... taking into consideration the fact that popular media is already saturated with such titles as "Who wants to be a Millionaire" or "So you think that you can dance?" ... it should be no surprise that, transferring the same concept to being a Sommelier was pretty much a logical progression ... the concept being fairly basic that all competence, skill, knowledge and experience should be challenged and tested in the public arena, against the very best in the world ...

Hence, ... and in order to raise the professional standard The South African Sommelier's Association (SASA) has listed as amongst its highest priorities the following events; a) The Sommelier's Academy; b) The Sommelier's Competition; c) The Sommelier's Forum; d) The Sommelier's Annual Report ...

... However, before we answer that question ... it was a curiosity, for as soon as the SASA concept was published, we would love to report the fact that we were quiet amused by the initial response ... First of all ... everybody agreed that such an initiative was long overdue ... that we are on the right path ... that support was most certainly guaranteed ... "However, before we make any type of commitment, we'll first observe how things progress" ... Secondly, ... we had to content with "Who's going to pay for all it?!" ... Third, ... people wanted to know "Who came up with the concept?" and "Who are the people behind the initiative?" ... and Finally ... "We need more detail?" ...

... none of the above came as a surprise ... as a matter of fact it only motivated us to push ahead ... because we understood and appreciated the fact that perhaps some insecurities were challenged ... the fact that perhaps there are some guys absolutely convinced that they could do a much better job ... the fact that we had to field quiet a number of hostile phone calls ... and the fact that we have to constantly guard against deception and sabotage ...

... so, You Think You Want to Be a Sommelier?! ... well, in that case, you will need balls (Big Cahunas) made of steel ... because you'll be exposed to betrayal, abuse and intimidation ... because, in order to survive, you will need a seriously thick skin ... because you might have to deal with an ignorant employer (... or a devious Boss), frustrating working environment and an insult of a salary ... and because all of these you will need a healthy support system ... and that is the protection SASA offers its members ... supplemented by a reseonable degree of finesse (Style), knowledge (Theory) and skill (Practical) ...

... it is our understanding that a South African Sommelier should pocess a comprehensive understanding of; a) the South African Wine of Origin System; b) the collective EU Appellation System; c) the Appellation of California, Chile, Argentina, Australia & New Zealand combined; and d) the Past, Current and Future Trends of the Global Wine Trade ... Hence, The Sommelier's Academy offers the following qualification; Level I (Introductory), Level II (Intermediate), Level III (Advanced) and Level IV (Masters)

... so, You Think You Want to Be a Sommelier?! ... well, it doesn't come easy ... it's quiet an expensive and demanding profession ... which requires a certain degree of knowledge (... reading constantly) ... business management competency, the ability to manage a cellar and the ability manage service staff (front-of-house) ... a fair amount of travel ... and an appetite for alcohol (... you will be consuming a significant amount of wine and other alcoholic beverages) ...

... Sommeliers are obsessed with the World of Wine ... they can't get enough ... you will find them at wine tastings ... at wine expo's ... at wine seminars ... they tour the vineyards ... they volunteer their services during harvest (... in order to get a first hand experience in the process of winemaking) ... and they constantly pontificate about the subject ...

... so, You still Think You Want to Be a Sommelier?! ... then we look forward to seeing you at the Sommelier's Forum or any of our events ...

SALUTE!!!

An Interview with a Sommelier

AN INTERVIEW WITH A SOMMELIER

... and so, and perhaps out of a sense of complete boredom, The South African Sommelier's Association (SASA) decided to go around and interview Sommeliers (without any sense of discrimination) ... which means that we couldn't careless whether or not the individual in question was officially trained or not ... because, for as far as we are concerned we would love to include as many people as possible ... so if you say you are a Sommelier then we would want to talk to you ... our objective being quiet simple, which is to widen the scope as far wide as possible ... systematically moving away from exclusivity and ultimately including the grass roots (incorporating such concepts as Affirmative Action & Black Economic Empowerment) ... Hence, in the long-term gradually infusing consistensy and sustainability ...

Important to note is that as open-minded as we are to engage with all Sommeliers (from various backgrounds), that it should be made clear that becoming a fully accredited member of SASA can only occur in two methods; a) Accreditation - by attending The South African Sommeliers Academy and passing both the Theoretical & Practical Final Exam (70%) ... and; b) Membership could be aquired by an Executive Invitation - subject to the discretion of the Board of Trustees ...

Fact is that we have all agreed that the Sommelier's Profession in South Africa is in its infancy ... that South Africa is yet to produce a Master Sommelier (from the Court of Master Sommeliers, UK) ... that those who claim to be Sommeliers (Jorg Futzner, Niel Grant, Kent Scheermeister, Tobias Brauliewer) are not locally trained ... and then we have our own local favourites (Luvo Nteza, Michel Chuan, Tessa Miles, Higgo Jacobs, Khuzelo Phuta) ... and not to forget the contributions made by such educational institutions as The Cape Wine Academy (initiated and driven by Ms. Marylin Cooper CWM) ... and 'Let's Sell a Lobster' - Fundi/WOSA (with their outrageous 2010 initiative) ...

... and so, out of all these magnificent individuals we decided that our focus would be on Jorg Futzner ... a legend, in a class of his own ... totally down to earth ... supremely confident and pragmatic ... not surprising then that he is of German origin ... professionally trained (Koblenz, German Sommelier's School) and mentored by a Master Sommelier ... always eager to share his hard earned knowledge ...

... we heard about Jorg some years ago ... and to be quiet frank we were intriguded by his resume ... because at the time he was operating just a touch above the rest of us ... he knew a lot more ... he had a lot more experience and he had a lot more clout ... and most important he was stationed at the award-winning restaurant Aubergine (Cape Town) ... Furthermore and most importantly, he had the industrial weight to command an impressive capacity audience for his premium Food&Wine parings and other wine related events ...

... so you can appreciate our delight and awe when the first call came through ... and the fact that we had to somewhat subdue our excitement in preparation for out first meeting with the legend ... which took place at Sins, Wembly Square ... and it was no surprise at all, that in-person the guy is pretty huge ... as so is his voice, quiet commanding ... however, as soon as he was settled we could get down to business ... and we discovered that Jorg was everything that we hoped for ... well educated ... eager to dissiminate knowledge and move on with the business of being a Sommelier - whether it be serving guests in a fine-dinning restaurant or hosting an international wine tasting event or training new and upcomming Sommeliers ... you would always find him to be generous and pragmatic ...

... simultaneously, it would be evidently clear that Jorg is frustrated with the South Wine Industry ... because, there are no funds being made available for Sommelier Training & Education (from either Government or Private Enterprise) ... secondly, most hotel owners and restauranteurs are unwilling to invest in the training and development of competent staff ... thirdly, ... the Government, in addition to facilitating the process, should accelerate the process transforming of the industry - including most importantly remumeration and development ...

It is evidently clear that Jorg wants South Africa to raise the bar much higher ... and this might pose a challenge for individuals imprisoned by the South African Franchise System ... in which the norm is mass production, serving processed food, serving perculated coffee, serving micro-waved eggs and pouring boxed wine (dry white or dry red) ... which means that the accelarated promotion of waiters to management might need to be adjusted ... that is if The South Africa Sommeliers Association wants to compete against the very best in the world ...

Although Jorg is totally awesome and unorthodoxed, we realise that family is very important ... he is quiet willing to invite you into his own house ... to meet his Life-Partner and his daughters (the close bond between them being clearly evident) ... he remains unapologetic with regards to his love for German Rhine Rieslings ... and in addition, he has his eyes set on wines from the Swartland (... "according to him these are wines with meat on the bone") ...

... and before we say our goodbyes and depart he reminds us once again that "the most important thing about our job as Sommeliers is to serve people and to create positive momeries" ...

SALUTE!!!