The best bars and restaurants have repeat guests, a lot of them! Happy customers that keep coming back for the restaurant’s service, food and wines are true F&B ambassadors. If you are a wine sommelier at a restaurant, you are most likely one of the experts on the team who has the ability to create extraordinary experiences for patrons, and use simple yet effective means to keep your guests coming back for more unforgettable wine encounters.

Let’s start with a couple of things to keep in mind when creating your wine list. While it’s important to look at sales history and keep budgets in check, sommeliers must retain a level-headed, realistic approach when selecting wines for the list, and avoid being influenced by brand representatives.

Avoid overstocking

The last thing you want in your cellar is a dead stock of wines that aren’t performing as well as you’d like, due to quality or other factors. A wine list that includes a mix of popular, crowd-pleasing wines as well as undiscovered, hidden gems (follow your Somm intuition!) provides a diverse range of options for guests to pick from. The trick is to offer some ‘dark horse’ wines by the glass in order to entice wine enthusiasts to try them instead of their usual selections. This ensures that your guests return to discover something new in their glass every time.

Visual appeal is just as important as the quality of wines on your menu! Hence, work on making your wine list appear well-organised, less overwhelming and intimidating, combined with crisp and relevant information about each wine. Consider this as half the battle won!

“Visual appeal is just as important as the quality of wines on your menu! Work on making your wine list appear well-organised, less overwhelming and intimidating.”

Moving on, repeat business requires a little more than just shop-floor expertise and wine knowledge. While it goes without saying that wine know-how is absolutely crucial, you may want to incorporate certain mandatory operational checks that can go a long way toward ensuring that your guests have a hassle-free dining experience. 

#1

For instance, you need to make sure you have enough of all the popular wines on your list at hand, particularly ahead of busy evenings, to avoid a situation where the guest’s wine order is delayed or even rejected due to a lack of availability. Therefore, make it a point to inform your guests about wines that are out of stock for the evening should you have run out of them before they order. You’ll save them from the disappointment and chagrin that would otherwise occur if their favourite wine was unavailable – phew, disaster averted! 

#2

Furthermore, be sure to follow up by recommending something similar to earn those extra brownie points for your prompt service. Thinking on your feet and making quick decisions on the shop floor should be a sommelier’s forte. Guests will frequently ask for your recommendations. It’s always a good idea to ask a few questions before helping them come to a decision. 

#3

Check for any special occasions, the style of wines they’ve previously drunk and liked or disliked; its even acceptable to ask for a price range within which they’re willing to spend. Analysing what the guest wants and then suggesting wines accordingly, rather than force-selling to meet targets is what leaves a lasting impression, and a good sommelier should be able to do this with ease.

#4

It is important to be familiar with all the wines on the restaurant’s menu in order to avoid the vague “hmm’s” and the “ummm’s” when making suggestions or answering their questions. Stocking good wines and having the expertise to sell them is vital for setting your wine menu and service apart from that of other establishments.

Talking of the sommelier-flair, keep in mind that the guests are there to have a good time. Attentive service without being intrusive and sommelier skills put to good use will make you stand out in the eyes of your guests. This is where your wine know-how comes into play – how to open bottles in style without evident struggle, knowing exactly how much to pour, pouring wines at the correct temperature and pairing it with the food if the service calls for it, handling challenging situations and turning any complaints into a positive experience. And all of this – while engaging in pleasant conversation with the guests at the table!

Wait, what, you sommeliers have super powers? You certainly do!

“Attentive service without being intrusive and sommelier skills put to good use will make you stand out in the eyes of your guests.”

A sommelier’s soft skills too play a key role in elevating the guest experience. You must always approach the guest politely, in a poised manner, while maintaining a professional demeanour at all times. While engaging with guests to build rapport is important throughout the service, sommeliers must adapt on when and how much to interact with their guests by assessing their body language. This may seem difficult, but if you focus mindfully, you’ll be a pro in no time!

And finally..

To summarise, take pride in what you’re delivering, make your guests feel like they’re getting excellent value for the wines they are tasting, something new to discover every time, provide skilled and efficient wine service, and give them just the right amount of engaging conversation. These are the ingredients for creating memorable wine experiences for your guests to bring them back again and again.