sommelier

noun

som·​me·​lier ˌsə-məl-ˈyā 

plural sommeliers ˌsə-məl-ˈyā(z) 

: a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service : a wine steward

Examples of sommelier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Costco’s wine section has quietly built a cult following for delivering surprisingly high-quality bottles at prices that feel almost too good to be true, and sommeliers are taking notice. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 May 2026

Ice, Ice Baby Spritz cocktails have been dominating warm-weather drinking for years, admits Charly Naranjo, sommelier at Fontainebleau Miami Beach. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026

The sommelier will guide you through the wine list, which veers towards Old World labels but also showcases some Czech wines (the country’s vintages are getting better and better), though for cocktails head next door to the river-facing bar. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Mandalou is a sommelier, so the wine list is carefully curated, and surprisingly approachable. —Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French soumelier official charged with transportation of supplies, from Old French, pack animal driver, probably alteration of *sommerier, from somier pack animal, from Medieval Latin saugmarius, from Late Latin sagma packsaddle — more at sumpter

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Video

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