Welcome to the November edition of The Sommelier Standard.
This month brings three different perspectives on our profession: 261 new Sommelier positions worldwide were posted in October, the crowning of the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026 in Lisbon, and a practical look at building a wine list that works for both guests and the business.
Different subjects, but one common thread: the knowledge, people and decisions that shape the Sommelier profession.
October brought considerable activity to the international Sommelier job market. Our premium niche job portal recorded 261 new Sommelier openings throughout the month, with positions from Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury hotels, fine-dining groups and exceptional resorts worldwide.
The opportunities range from established wine destinations to emerging hospitality markets. They also reflect the variety of environments in which Sommelier professionals can develop their careers.
Looking for someone to strengthen your wine programme or join your restaurant or hotel team?
Present your vacancy to an international audience of professional Sommeliers and hospitality leaders.
👉 Post a Job:
https://www.sommelier-jobs.com/post-a-job/
Explore Sommelier positions across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond.
Whether you are considering a move abroad or looking for a new challenge closer to home, our international job listings offer opportunities worth exploring.
👉 Explore Sommelier Jobs:
https://www.sommelier-jobs.com/sommelier-jobs/
New positions are published throughout the year. Rather than checking the website every day, you can receive job opportunities matching your preferred countries and professional interests.
👉 Create Your Job Alert:
https://www.sommelier-jobs.com/job-alerts/
Here's to new opportunities, outstanding wine programmes and the people who bring them to life.
#SommelierJobs #WineCareers #SommLife #WineIndustry #Hospitality
We Have a Champion — ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026
After an extraordinary week of competition in Lisbon, Nikolai Haram Svorte of Norway has been crowned ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026.
Congratulations, Nikolai!
Reaching this title takes years of preparation, dedication and an exceptional command of wine knowledge and service. His achievement is a remarkable moment for Norwegian sommellerie and for the international Sommelier profession.
A special congratulations also goes to Pascaline Lepeltier of France and Wataru Iwata of Japan, who joined Nikolai in the Grand Final and represented their countries with distinction.
And let us not forget the other 63 contenders. All 66 Sommeliers who travelled to Lisbon brought their knowledge, experience and commitment to the competition. Reaching this level is an achievement in itself.
Events such as the ASI Best Sommelier of the World remind us what lies behind the profession: years of learning, countless hours of tasting, practical experience, and the support of colleagues, mentors and national associations.
They also bring together people who share a commitment to raising the standards of sommellerie across the world.
We would therefore like to recognise not only the competitors, but also the people whose work, dedication and contribution continue to shape our profession.
Nikolai Haram Svorte, Pascaline Lepeltier and Wataru Iwata, and, with sincere appreciation, William Wouters, Tiago Paula, Olivier Poussier, Shinya Tasaki, Paolo Basso, Markus Del Monego, Paz Levinson, Heidi Mäkinen, Véronique Rivest, Raimonds Tomsons, Andreas Larsson and Serge Dubs.
Thank you for your dedication to sommellerie and for the part you play in bringing our international profession forward.
One champion lifts the trophy. An entire community elevates the profession.
🥂 Congratulations to everyone who made Lisbon 2026 such a memorable occasion.
#ASISomms #ASIBestSomm #RoadtoLisbon2026 #ASIBestSommelier2026 #ASIBSW2026 #Portugal #Sommelier #Wine #SommelierCompetition #SommLife
A wine list should reflect more than the personal preferences of the Sommelier putting it together. It needs to make sense with the food, suit the guests and work commercially for the restaurant.
It means understanding your guests, knowing what works with the kitchen, keeping an eye on prices and, just as importantly, knowing which wines actually sell.
A wine list should never be something that is created once and then forgotten. Guests' preferences change, vintages move on, and the restaurant itself evolves. The wine selection should evolve with it.
There are many ways to approach the structure of a wine list. Some restaurants prefer to organise their selection by country and region, while others work with grape varieties. Both approaches have their advantages, but the important thing is to make the list easy to navigate and to give guests enough information to make a choice.
A Chardonnay from Napa Valley, for example, can be quite different from one from the Mâconnais. The grape variety is the same, but the origin and style tell another story.
And then there is the business side.
How many wines should you offer by the glass? Which bottles are your bestsellers? Are your prices right? Does your selection work with the food, and does the team actually know the wines well enough to recommend them?
These are some of the questions we explore in the first part of our guide.
One point deserves particular attention: the wines that account for the majority of sales are not necessarily the most expensive or prestigious bottles on the list. Knowing which wines guests actually choose is essential when deciding where to concentrate staff training and purchasing decisions.
And if you have a wine sitting in the cellar that isn't moving, perhaps there is an opportunity to give guests a reason to try it by the glass.
Does every restaurant really need a wine list with 500 different bottles?
Sometimes a smaller, carefully selected list that the team knows inside out will work much better than an extensive selection that nobody has time to explain properly.
The important thing is to find the right balance between the wines you want to offer, what your guests enjoy and what makes sense for the business.
👉 Read the Complete Guide: Crafting a Profitable and Innovative Wine List
Wine is global. Hospitality is human. Your career is bigger than one country.
Whether you are building a wine programme, considering your next career move or following the developments in our profession, thank you for reading and being part of The Sommelier Standard.
See you next month,
Dominik — Zeitgeist Sommeliers
The International Premium Sommelier Job Portal
⚜️ Eat Well. Drink Well. Indulge Often.
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