Wine Consultant

If the words “Syrah” and “Pinot Noir” bring specific images and tastes to you mind, or if you can name the perfect chilled white to serve with peaches, then a career as a Wine Consultant might be perfect for you. A Wine Consultant works in retail stores or restaurants, selling wine.

No matter where you work, your job as a Wine Consultant is to increase wine sales. Newly opened restaurants call to enlist your help in selecting their wine list. And more established places turn to you when their wine sales start dropping.

To help them out, you might suggest new options for their wine menu, find different vendors that offer lower prices, or improve the training their Servers get. You could encourage them to increase their wine selection, or have them advertise in wine magazines. This role is a combination of Sommelier, Marketing Manager, and customer service guru.

As a Wine Consultant in a retail store, you still need the same skill set, but this position is a little heavier on the customer service aspect. That’s because you tend to work with people who know less about wine. You stock new wines, create displays, and talk one-on-one with customers to help them select the best wine based on taste and price. You build strong connections to encourage repeat customers, and work to reach monthly sales goals.