Also called: Private Cellar Master, Private Collection Sommelier
Manages the wine collection of a wealthy family, buying bottles, tracking thousands of wines, and choosing what to serve at dinners.
He checks the cellar's temperature and humidity logs, then catalogs a new shipment of Bordeaux into the inventory software. In the afternoon he bids at an online wine auction for his employer, and at 7 p.m. he decants a 1990 vintage for a dinner party of 12.
Estimate; a small number of private households and collectors employ one.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 4 years after high school. Sommelier or WSET wine certifications plus years in restaurants or wine shops.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Hospitality Management, Viticulture and Enology.
Growing about average. Tiny but steady niche among ultra-wealthy collectors.
Low risk for 10 years. Cellar software and AI price tools help; tasting, buying judgment and a family's trust stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Geography, A world language.
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.