What interviewers are actually assessing

Sommelier interviews assess genuine wine knowledge and tasting ability alongside, just as importantly, the skill of reading a guest's preferences and budget without making them feel judged or pressured. Interviewers, particularly at higher-end establishments, commonly include a practical tasting or service demonstration alongside standard conversational questions.

Common questions and how to answer them

"How would you recommend a wine to a guest who says only 'something red, not too expensive'?" Show a genuine, practical approach: ask a light, non-intimidating clarifying question or two, then offer a confident, specific recommendation rather than an overwhelming list of options. "Walk me through how you would taste and evaluate an unfamiliar wine." Demonstrate structured tasting methodology (appearance, nose, palate, structure) and genuine, specific vocabulary, not vague general impressions. "Tell me about a time a guest was unhappy with a recommendation." Use a genuine example showing you handled it gracefully, prioritising the guest's experience over being technically 'right'.

How to prepare

Practise tasting and describing wines out loud using structured, specific language, since this is very commonly assessed directly in a practical component of the interview. Prepare genuine examples of reading and adapting to guest preferences sensitively, since technical wine knowledge alone rarely distinguishes strong sommelier candidates without this service skill.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a formal sommelier certification required for most roles?
It varies significantly by establishment; higher-end fine dining and dedicated wine programmes often expect or strongly prefer formal certification, while many other restaurant roles value strong practical knowledge and service skill without requiring it.
What does a practical tasting component in a sommelier interview typically involve?
Commonly you will be asked to taste one or more wines blind or semi-blind and describe them using structured tasting methodology, sometimes followed by a food or service pairing scenario.

Before your next interview, it helps to have the fundamentals down. Our complete guide to preparing for a job interview covers the basics, and the STAR method is a reliable way to structure almost any answer under pressure.

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