If you’re anything like me, you have no idea what a sommelier is. Thus, when Downtown Champaign’s bacaro announced the hiring of a level two sommelier, Keifer Manning, I had some questions. It turns out, it’s more than just some dude in a tux in a stuffy place who convinces you to buy a bottle of wine you can’t afford.
Instead, after speaking to Manning, I realized that a sommelier is actually the opposite of an intimidating symbol of status, but rather a way to educate patrons about the entirely intricate and diverse world of wine.
If you’re curious about what a sommelier is, and what that means in Champaign-Urbana, check out this interview I got to do with Manning, where he explains the whole job:
SP: What exactly is a sommelier (somme), and specifically, what does that mean in Central Illinois?
KM: The challenge and job of a somme here in Central Illinois is to introduce people to the wines of the world. We’re very focused on new-world California-based wines, and there’s such a great, giant world of wine out there. My job is to be your liaison into this world, and ultimately allow you to enjoy it, with someone kind of guiding you along.
Everyone thinks of the stuffy somme wearing an Italian-cut suit and glasses, and it’s really not like that at all. I’m a somme first and foremost to provide service and hospitality, and it just so happens that wine is the best vessel for that. The goal isn’t to be the smartest guy in the room, it’s to provide great service and a sense of hospitality, while also lowering the barrier of entry to the world of wine.
SP: Do you coordinate with the chefs? What is that process like?
KM: Chef Starkey and I will collaborate. We do a 7-course tasting menu, and we generally sit down and have a pow-wow about what types of dishes are going to be constructed and how any given wine will fit with that dinner. Each wine has to compliment the dish and move the dinner along. We kind of look at it like a symphony, where everything has to be in harmony, and there’s a ton of care that goes behind it.
Sometimes he’ll come to me with a dish, and I’ll ask him to tweak it so it can work with with a wine and vice-versa. We’re all very creative, so it’s often times easier than you would think.
SP: How often will bacaro be offering a sommelier? Is it every night?
On Fridays and Saturdays, I’ll be on the floor more as a somme. I’ll be going from table to table, i’ll be opening bottles, helping with suggestions, running wine pairings for the tasting menu, and just a little bit of everything. I’ll be around in case people want to pick my brain or have a question about anything.
SP: There are levels to being a sommelier right?
KM: Yeah, definitely. The levels haven’t always existed, but the term “sommelier” is very old. It was initially entry-level cooks who were banished to the wine cellar to move heavy bottles and organize the cellar, who were considered sommes. Now we have this glorified version of the position, and it’s very cool to be a somme right now because of all the attention and people are intrigued. The people who were doing this 50 years ago didn’t have a pin or a level, but the modern-day route includes testing.
SP: What are the tests?
KM: I was certified through the Court of Master Sommeleirs. They have four levels, all leading up to the Master Sommeleir diploma. Only a couple hundred of people have ever passed this test since the 80’s. I’m currently “certified,” which means I’ve passed the second level of the test. The first level is really an introduction to the court of masters, and how they want you to study.
The next level, however, is a three-part test consisting of the theory exam about anything that you can think of that pertains to wine. They can make you to name the most obscure stuff; it’s really intense. They follow that with a blind tasting where you’re sat down with a red and a white wine and you have 15 minutes to deipher what varietal the wine is, where it’s from and what year it was bottled. This is done completely blind.
But the worst part for me was the service demonstration, where you have to wait on a Master Sommelier as if you were in a restaurant. You greet him, he orders a bottle of champagne, and you retrieve it meticulously based on the Court’s service model. All the while, they’re just pelting you with questions that could be literally anything. He asked me what Chambord was in my interview, you really just have to think on your toes and have all of that information on the tip of your tongue.
SP: Is having a certified somme new to bacaro?
KM: Thad (Morrow) was certified, so it’s not necessarily new, but it is unique to the area. It’s something that bacaro has always had that others haven’t, and this is just us carrying on that tradition of intense education, and a dedication to our craft and service.
I want bacaro to be synonymous with learning and having fun at the same time. I want the veil of bacaro or wine culture to be lowered by increasing accessibility, and that’s what I think we’re on the verge of doing here. We just want to take it all to the next level, and be the flag-bearer of wine culture here.