After seeing the series Michel Roux’s Service Nicola Wylde, aged 14, contacted us to ask about pursuing a career as a sommelier. We organised for her to spend a day at the London restaurant 28:50
On Tuesday 26 April I spent a day at 28:50 in London to see what it would be like to work as a sommelier. My mum had arranged it for me through Sophie at the Academy of Food and Wine Service.
I was feeling a bit nervous as I arrived there with my dad. Ricarda and Xavier welcomed me then Xavier had to go off and do something as he was busy. It is his wine bar. Xavier had trained with Raymond Blanc before setting out on his own. Ricarda was so friendly and kind. My dad went off into London and left me to get on with it.
The first thing Ricarda did was show me where she kept the wines. She kept the white wines in the fridge and the red wines on a rack at room temperature. I was told that the older wine comes to the front of the fridge and the newer wine goes to the back. Then I was introduced to everyone. They were all very friendly and I couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome.
I was told all about the wine, where it is grown and how it is picked. I was told that from flowering to harvesting the grapes is about 100 days and that hand-picked grapes make a more expensive wine than machine-picked grapes.
I got to taste some wine, and then spit it in a spit tube. I tasted about four different wines. I liked the white wine best. She also told me that the bottle opener is called a waitresses best friend.
I poured a glass of wine then helped to take it to the table. My hand was shaking so much. The customer asked me if I was having a Work Experience Day and I said yes that I was.
I had lots of questions to ask Ricarda. She explained that Italy, Spain and France sell the most wine. Xavier and Ricarda told me that it takes about 10 years to become a professional sommelier and that as part of the training you visit vineyards in France, Italy and Spain. Ricarda told me the selection process for deciding if a person would be a good sommelier is someone who works hard, asks loads of questions and works long hours. I asked her what made her become a sommelier and she said that she had a summer job and then it took her a few years. She trained with Xavier.
I had a brilliant day. There wasn’t one thing I didn’t like about the day, I enjoyed everything. When my dad came to collect me I had some photos taken with Xavier and Ricarda. They told me that they hoped to see me again in a few years to do a week’s work experience.
Thank you so much Sophie for organising the day for me.
Nicola.
