Sommelier
Etymology
From French "sommelier," which earlier meant an officer in charge of provisions and pack animals, from Old Provençal "saumalier" (pack-animal driver), ultimately from Latin "sagma" (packsaddle). The glamorous wine authority of today descends, oddly, from a medieval beast-of-burden handler.
noun · /sum-uhl-YAY/
A trained wine expert, typically in a restaurant, who curates the list and guides diners’ choices.
What it names
The person whose whole craft is matching wine to food and translating a cellar into a recommendation.
Example
The sommelier suggested a crisp Riesling to cut through the richness of the pork belly.
Related idea
Related to decant: pouring a wine off its sediment is a classic sommelier’s task, one of the small rituals that separate the role from simply serving drinks.