We are proud to say that we have our very own Wine Sommelier, Eileen Spang. Eileen has been with Tavern Restaurant Group for nine years and has been the Bar Manager at The Polo Grille for five years. She is also a member of the TRG beverage committee and is known for her love of wine.

Sommelier is the French term for cellarmaster or wine steward. A Sommelier is someone who has a love for wine and is eager to spread their knowledge with others. They can describe the regions, grapes, vineyards and vintages of an assortment of wines from all over the world. However, not just anyone can earn this prestigious title. One must pass The Certified Sommelier Examination and it takes a lot of time, passion and knowledge.

Pronouncing it correctly is half the battle. Sommelier [suhm-uhl-yey; Fr. saw-muh-lyey] Click here to hear it pronounced.

As the Bar Manager and Sommelier at The Polo Grille, Eileen is responsible for researching new wines, setting up tastings with wine representatives and ultimately creating the wine list each year. From the taste to the price, Eileen uses her expertise to pick the best possible wines for the customers at The Polo Grille.

We sat down with Eileen to learn more about receiving her Sommelier certification.

When did you receive your Sommelier certification and how long did it take you to complete?

I received my Sommelier certification on April 15, 2011. I took a two day crash course at Cincinnati State and studied really hard for about two weeks before the test. You definitely need to have previous wine knowledge for the course I took because it’s a lot of information. I have been studying wine for over 15 years. You also have to drink a lot of wine and taste a lot of wine to be able to understand it, talk about it and pass a test.

What was the most challenging part about getting certified?

I have a great palate and have always been able to talk about wine with people so that wasn’t the hard part. To me, the most challenging part was all the geography and history. We studied every wine growing country in the world. There’s a lot of information about wine to learn because it has such a history. There are so many things that go into making wine that one may not think about, such as the way it is farmed, the laws and guidelines or the way it reads on a label.

What is the most interesting thing you learned while studying to get certified?

The most interesting thing I learned is that I still have a lot to learn. When I started studying wine, I never realized how much there is to learn. It truly is a life long hobby.

As the Bar manager for The Polo Grille and as a member of the Beverage Team at Tavern Restaurant Group, how have you benefited now that you have your Sommelier certification?

I think the biggest benefit to me is that I’m now able to teach the staff about wine in a way they can better comprehend. It’s a method I learned in class called the Deductive Tasting Method. It breaks down wine into sight, smell/aroma and taste. I’ve been able to incorporate the method here at The Polo Grille and engage the employees. I’ve challenged them to build a vocabulary of wine terms that they can use to describe wine in a way that will be appealing to our guests.  

What advice would you give to a person trying to get their Sommelier certification? 

I think you truly have to love wine and have to have a passion for learning about it if you want to reach the level of a Sommelier.  Read about wine everyday, study for the test for a long time and taste a lot of wine.