Head sommelier

This is a wonderful opportunity for a creative, motivated, hard-working and career-oriented individual to be part of a team of luxury hotel professionals in a foreign country.

General 

The head sommelier is in charge of the restaurant’s cellar: he selects the wines according to the restaurant concept, deals them from the winemakers, he develops a varied and original menu to accompany the kitchen of the establishment; he is also in charge of liqueurs and spirits, mineral waters, aperitifs, coffees, infusions and sometimes cigars (when the restaurant has a smoking area). He manages the cellar by ensuring the stocks and the good conservation of the bottles, he keeps updated of the latest vintages and constantly seeks quality wines, less well-known wines, he must make his customers benefit from his discoveries, he finds “low-key” quality wines at attractive prices. He has to constantly move around the vineyards and attend tastings. In the dining room, the sommelier is present during the service to advise the customers and perform the service of the wines at the table, respect the glassware in relation to the wines served while respecting the very precise rules of the profession: opening, decanting, presentation of the wine, respect for the service temperatures, comments (if the customer seems requesting), tasting, then service by the glass.

Skills:

• To constantly develop and update the wine list in accordance with the legislation and in harmony with the location of the restaurant, the standards of the restaurant, the type of clientele
• Advise the customer by proposing wines or other beverages taking into account the menu of dishes of the restaurant in which he works
• Manage the restaurant’s cellar, place orders, receive wines, store them taking into account new vintages
• Provide wine service in the dining room taking into account the price of menus while respecting the interests of the employer
• Implement a business approach, professional techniques and service issues
• Mastering organoleptic analysis and table service techniques
• Know vineyards, history, geology and geography
• Know ampelography, viticulture and skill of winemaking
• Know the drinks of the sommelier’s work – basic cocktail, appetizers, beer, cider, mineral waters, soda, fruit juices, infusions and coffees, liqueurs and spirits
• Have gourmet culture, food and beverage pairings, and culinary skills; tastings, commented or not, and product recognition

Specific experiences

• Minimum 5 years of work experience (excluding apprenticeship),
• Being a competition finalist or having a title of excellence is considered an asset
• Successful experience in team management

Specific skill

– Bac/MC: Pro-marketing bac and services in catering or hotel technology bac, completed with a MC Sommellerie, CAP/MC: CAP restaurant completed with a MC Sommellerie. These trainings will all need to be supplemented by several years of professional experience before he can access the responsibilities of reception manager; years of experience crucial for this profession.

– Except for French-speaking countries, he will have to be able to express himself in English – it is a question of knowing how to communicate with his team.

Remuneration

Compensation varies depending on the position, the candidate’s profile and the country. In the luxury hotel industry for a position abroad, depending on the hotel and the position, the remuneration includes a package that completes the employee’s net salary. The package includes at least one round trip to France per year and accommodation. Other benefits may be negotiated based on the position and the candidate’s qualification level.

Social security for expats

As far as social coverage is concerned, France is very well endowed internationally thanks to the Caisse des Français à l’Etranger (www.cfe.fr). By enrolling in the CFE, the expatriate and his family can benefit from the continuity of rights (health, retirement) that he can complete with a mutual like April International https://fr.april-international.com/fr used by a very large number of expatriates.

SAF’s role: more than connecting with the customer

SAF searches within its network of companies (the Customer), then searches and evaluates the candidates’ profiles in relation to the customer’s request. SERVICE A THE FRANCAISE develops an image of excellence internationally. Concerned about the quality of the candidates transmitted, the technical assessment of the candidates is done by the members of the technical assessors panel composed of the “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France”. Once the evaluation and internal selection of the candidate is done by SAF, the selected profiles are sent to the client who finalizes the recruitment by a remote interview (telephone or video conference). Once the selection has been made by the Client, the client is fully responsible for mobilizing the selected candidate and signing the contract. SAF will always advise the candidate throughout the evaluation process until the client is signed.