Sommelier Asheville

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a beautiful mountain city known most often for its access to the outdoors and its craft beer scene. However, the wine market in Asheville also has a ton of variety. With the nearby Biltmore Estate and several luxury hotels, wine culture has been having a bit of a moment.

On any given weekend, you can find thousands of visitors making their way through the streets of Asheville, and we are happy to be able to serve every one of them with great knowledge of quality wine. Also, it doesn’t hurt that we have several sommeliers as part of our team, setting us apart as the premier wine seller of Asheville, NC.

What Is a Sommelier?

A Sommelier is someone who is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional. These wine stewards often find themselves working in fine restaurants and top-flight hotels. They must specialize and understand all aspects of wine service, as well as wine and food pairing.

Sommeliers are often responsible for the wine menu or book, and training for restaurant staff. In a retail setting, they lead pieces of training and inform buying decisions; while also assisting in pairings and pieces of information sessions.

What Does it Take to Be a Sommelier?

Becoming a professionally certified sommelier requires a combination of training, formal education, as well as experience. There are many schools and several certifying bodies. These include:

The Court of Master Sommeliers
International Sommelier Guild
International Wine and Spirits Guild
North American Sommelier Association
National Wine School
Union de la Sommellerie Française
Associazione Italiana Sommelier
Wine and Spirit Education Trust

Why Is a Sommelier Important?

Sommeliers can set the pace for a wine list or program, as their entire training and career has been centered around picking and choosing wines based on palate development pairings while also ensuring that wines fit specific budgets. Having a sommelier or two on staff is a way to have access to a long heritage of training and understanding of wine.

By doing this, we have a leg up on the local market.

Metro Wines has a large collection of wines, with a focus on matching the correct wine with any food or event. Our wine specialists are accessible to answer your inquiries, make pairing recommendations, and collaborate with your caterer or event planner at any time.

Throughout the month, we also offer Wine Classes, weekly tastings, and social gatherings. Our event calendar, weekly tastings, and special events can all be found on our website.