Oenologist to wine sommelier
An oenologist already meets 52% of what the wine sommelier role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.6/ 100
1 How much of what a wine sommelier is expected to do is already part of an oenologist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the wine sommelier role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A wine sommelier role treats 8 of its required skills as things an oenologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse trends in the food and beverage industries
- apply GMP
- apply HACCP
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- describe flavour of different wines
- fermentation processes of beverages
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A wine sommelier role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an oenologist background worth leading with.
- already held store wine handling and moving
- already held chemical constitution of grapes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held describe flavour of different wines communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held wine fermentation process engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held variety of grapes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held types of wine engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the wine sommelier role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply extensive study of wine types required
- still to learn stay abreast of wine trends required
- still to learn taste wines required
- still to learn ensure adequate conditions in wine cellars required
- still to learn maintain updated professional knowledge required
- optional, not held maintain food specifications optional
- still to learn decant wines required
- still to learn match food with wine required
- still to learn host wine-tasting events required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a wine sommelier role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply extensive study of wine types practise this
- 02 host wine-tasting events practise this
- 03 stay abreast of wine trends practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- already held apply GMP skill
- already held apply HACCP skill
- already held apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages skill
- already held describe flavour of different wines skill
- already held fermentation processes of beverages knowledge
- already held store wine skill
- already held types of wine knowledge
- already held chemical constitution of grapes knowledge
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held liaise with colleagues skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products skill
- already held variety of grapes knowledge
- already held wine fermentation process knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain food specifications optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
44 held skills the wine sommelier role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role age alcoholic beverages in vats skill
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role analyse samples of food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role apply control process statistical methods skill
- not needed by the target role assist bottling skill
- not needed by the target role attend to detail in preparation for audits skill
- not needed by the target role beverages filtration processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role biotechnology knowledge
- not needed by the target role blend beverages skill
- not needed by the target role check bottles for packaging skill
- not needed by the target role control grape quality skill
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role control wine quality skill
- not needed by the target role exert quality control to processing food skill
- not needed by the target role filter wine skill
- not needed by the target role financial capability knowledge
- not needed by the target role food and beverage industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- not needed by the target role handle wine sales skill
- not needed by the target role identify market niches skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role manage wine cellar inventory skill
- not needed by the target role mark differences in colours skill
- not needed by the target role measure the strength of distillation skill
- not needed by the target role mitigate waste of resources skill
- not needed by the target role monitor centrifugal separators skill
- not needed by the target role monitor temperature in manufacturing process of food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role monitor the process of wine production skill
- not needed by the target role monitor winemaking process skill
- not needed by the target role operate pasteurisation processes skill
- not needed by the target role pathogenic microorganisms in food knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform detailed food processing operations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare containers for beverage fermentation skill
- not needed by the target role processes of foods and beverages manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role rack wines skill
- not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill
- not needed by the target role supervise grape pressing skill
- not needed by the target role tend wine manufacturing machines skill
4 further entries not listed here
Common questions about this move
Can an oenologist become a wine sommelier?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An oenologist already covers 52% of what a wine sommelier is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the wine sommelier role treats as required.
What skills does an oenologist need to become a wine sommelier?
8 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is apply extensive study of wine types.
How hard is the move from oenologist to wine sommelier?
Its learning distance is 52.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.