Also called: Beverage Director, Master of Wine
Top-level wine expert who runs wine programs for restaurant groups, hotels, or importers.
You oversee cellars worth millions of dollars across several restaurants, buy at auctions, and train teams of sommeliers. Fewer than 300 people worldwide have passed the Master Sommelier exam. Many top somms move into importing, consulting, or their own wine brands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 8 years after high school. Master Sommelier or Master of Wine title; 10+ years of study and work.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Hospitality Management, Wine Studies.
Growing about average.
Low risk for 10 years. Top-level tasting, wine program leadership and guest trust stay deeply human.
Classes: Chemistry, French, Geography.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.