A Very Special, Unique Certification

There are two main skills it takes to become a sommelier; that is a keen sense of smell, and an even keener sense of taste. A sommelier (wine expert) must be able to distinguish everything there is to know about a wine simply from the taste and the smell. They should be able to discern what the wine is made from at the very least, but the best sommeliers are able to tell how and when a wine was made. You might be wondering if you have what it takes to become a sommelier, particularly if you aren’t that confident in your sense of taste and smell, but there is good news for anyone considering getting their sommelier certification.

This good news comes in the form of research that shows the once held belief that we are all born with a fixed sense of taste. This is wrong. It turns out the human sense of taste, and indeed smell, which powers the sense of taste, is malleable. It’s similar to how some people are born with a genetic predisposition to obesity, but are still able to stay thin and healthy, and even train for triathlons and marathons. No matter what your sense of taste is like right now, you can train it to detect hidden flavors that you never noticed before. It is still true that some people can train their sense of taste faster, but the sense of taste remains as cultivatable as athletic ability or the ability to play and compose music.

Much like many other things in life, tasting comes down to mind over matter. There are an average of 1,000 taste buds on your tongue and in your throat. Taste buds are a form of nerve ending that tells you the basic nature of how something tastes, such as whether it is sweet, salty, or bitter. The nose is where the true magic happens, as it is the 400 olfactory receptors in the nose that distinguish between over 1 million aromas. While it is difficult to physically train your sense of taste, what is possible is exposing yourself to different odors to induce recognition and improve your sense of smell. Women of a childbearing age are particularly adept at training their sense of smell like this. A survey from the Nature Neuroscience journal shows women are able to discern even the most subtlest of scents. It’s believed that this could be caused by female sex hormones.

The danger comes from how many items could be affecting your sense of smell, especially items that are outside of your control. You can give up perfume, salt, smoking, and spicy food, but you can’t give up medicine that could be affecting your sense of smell. Not without potential consequences at least. Improving your sense of smell and becoming a better wine taster involves a little more than just keeping your nose sharp. It’s also more about noticing things that you never noticed before. What are these new sensations that you’re tasting? Can you identify them? That is the art of the sommelier.

So now you know the answer to the question “Do you have what it takes to become a sommelier?” The short and simple answer is; yes. Everyone has the potential to become an expert wine taster. Not necessarily by improving their sense of taste, but through honing their sense of smell. It still takes a lot of hard work and training to master the Sommelier arts however, so don’t think it’s as simple as smelling wine. The very best sommelier certifications can take up to ten years to earn. There’s a lot more involved with it than just “learning to taste wine”.