So we have heard the term often. Perhaps we have even met one but were too occupied to notice, or remember. But few of us know what they really do. I am talking about the sommeliers. Is it a different species? Are they from Krypton? Is it a cult? Do they have super powers? Is it true they can tell a wine from 30 feet with their hands tied behind their backs?

To answer all that together: definitely maybe. A sommelier is as important to service as leather is to S&M but few know how to use either effectively.

I am a sommelier. I learnt my craft in that oldest of schools - France. I did it when it was a rare choice of line of work, so much so that people often asked me why I called myself a Somalian when I didn't remotely look African!

Sommelier is the French term for a wine server. Classically this was the person who handled all wine service in a restaurant. He made sure that no glass was ever empty. Over time, his duties were extended a bit further (or rather backward) to include ordering wine and stocking the cellar.

However in today's context the term extends to cover many more activities. Today a sommelier may be employed by a wine house to help them with their final wine blends. Sommeliers can also be great salespersons in a wine shop, telling people what wine to try at home with their wives signature meatball recipe. The term is in fact not just limited to wines anymore and today the sommelier, along-side his wine duties, may also manage an extensive water, salt, chocolate, tea and coffee menu as well. This doesn't mean to say that previously we were all outrageously under-employed!

So, that in a nutshell, is a sommelier. But how do you use him? For most people, it's hard to tell the difference between a wine opener and a wine server because both seem so hard to understand and operate. The difference can then be quite subtle.

Next time you go out to a restaurant which boasts a sommelier on its payroll or on its menu try this: call him over and introduce yourself. Nothing too familiar, no need to open up with family names et al; just the basic what kind of wines you have tried (and perhaps liked, or not liked) will do. A general idea of what you intend to eat and preferences for red or white, fruity or oaky, still or sparkling and you have more or less given him sufficient ammo to draw your wine chart. He should be able to suggest a wine which you should statistically and deductively find appealing.

It's very simple really. Not much unlike a tailor who shows you a fabric and a style based on what you share as being your preferred shade and how you intend to use the garment. Sure both tailor and sommelier can get it wrong and it is your moral duty (and right) to tell them if you are not entirely satisfied. Just like you wouldn't be seen in a tacky suit, you shouldn't be drinking wine that you don't agree with it; worst still if it decides to not agree with you later that evening.

So folks, that's the end of my rant for now. If you have any questions please feel free to write in. Else, write back in with an answer. Here's the question: Foxy, Cat's pee and Deer Musk are good smells but wet dog is an undesirable smell...where honestly do we draw the line, and how!?