The role of the server is, and always has been, a major factor in the satisfaction of a restaurant’s guest, and due to the lack of professionally trained staff available these days, they are also an increasingly valuable asset for high end restaurants across the globe.
But the sommelier is perhaps the one that adds the most tangible and immediate value to a meal, insofar as he or she complements the meal with the selection of drinks, interacts with the diner at a very intimate level to figure our preferences, knowledge, and price tolerance, striving to elevate the experience through mastery and service.
The six sommeliers below are great examples of this. Each, in her own way, brings the best possible liquid experience to the diner. From California to New Zealand to Colombia to Spain to Switzerland, we spoke with some of the sommeliers who are defining their industry and… oh, yeah: they all happen to be women. 
Maja Kümmerle, Head Sommelier at Citrin and Mélisse (Santa Mónica, California)
Born in Germany, Maja began her career as a waiter and later studied at the Académie du Vin in Zurich. During her time in the Swiss financial capital, she worked at The Dolder Grand, the culinary castle on top of Zurich, as Chef de Rang and Junior Sommelier. Maja then worked as a hotel sommelier at the Baur au Lac Hôtel before moving to the United States to join Citrin and Mélisse. She is a Certified Sommelier of the Court of Master Sommeliers in Europe.
Maja has had the opportunity to work in a food and beverage kingdom, such as The Dolder, and in a family-run restaurant, such as Citrin and Mélisse (one and two Michelin stars, respectively), which gives her a very complete perspective on her profession. “In a family-run restaurant, there are not so many departments. My job now covers more than in the past, so I’m not ‘just’ a sommelier. I’m also purchasing and doing the administration. I used to work with different people for each task and now I do everything myself. I feel very free and very trusted, and that’s a great feeling,” says Maja.
However, Maja has also noticed the differences between the old world and the new – in terms of wine and guests.
“We always talk about old world and new world wine, but there is an old world and a new world workplace. Switzerland is not the biggest wine-producing country in the world, but there was a lot of Swiss wine there. They are very proud of their own wine, their own products, not just wine, and the people are much more remote, so the service was very traditional. I liked coming to California, where people are also proud of their wine but much more open to trying something else,” she explains.
With two restaurants to manage, Maja relies on a team that she trusts and has empowered. At Citrin and Mélisse, the wine list is mostly domestic, with an emphasis on California labels, of course, but with a significant number of French wines that honor Josiah Citrin’s heritage, and since Maja is a self-professed fan of Burgundy, she curates many wines from the region. As for California wines, she has a few favorites. “I am a big fan of Philip Togni in the Spring Mountain district of Santa Helena. He studied wine in Borderaux and makes Cabernet Sauvignon in the Margaux style. I am also a big fan of Gavin Chanin in Santa Monica. We have almost all of his Chardonnays on the list,” says Maja.
But how does she pair one of Chef Josiah’s most iconic dishes, lobster bolognese? “You could easily do a red wine because of the red sauce, but we love to enhance the main lobster meat, which is very tender and soft, and we have this brown butter truffle foam on top, so we go for a Chardonnay, a mineral, 100% stainless steel Chablis. It’s the perfect pairing, honestly.
Caitlin Waters, Head Sommelier at Amisfield Restaurant (Central Otago, New Zealand)
After leaving behind a career in complicated American politics that she says gnawed at her soul, Caitlin decided to explore the world. She lived in Spain, France, Portugal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia before arriving in New Zealand. For this restless roamer, who holds the title of Certified Sommelier from Court Masters Sommelier, the best part of her job is the opportunity to travel.
“I come from a family that has no relation to the world of wine. In fact I fell in love with this drink when I was living in Paris, it was a crush and it was very clear to me that I was going to dedicate myself to it. At home it was a surprise, my father, an academic, still asks me when I will have a real job again,” says Caitlin with a laugh.
Amisfield is not only the best restaurant in New Zealand – for the fifth year in a row – it is also an excellent vineyard and winery, with Pinot Noir leading the way, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, varietals that express all the minerality of the Central Otago soils. Caitlin’s job is therefore very specific, combining the roles of sommelier and brand ambassador.
“Although the restaurant serves not only our wines, but also wines from the rest of New Zealand and some international references, my job is to tell the Amisfield-story through the wine,” she says.
Caitlin, who like Maja confesses to being a Burgundy lover, says she chose to stay in Central Otago so she could drink local Pinot Noirs of a certain age, bottles that don’t leave the island. “I’m not saying Central Otago is going to replace Burgundy because, well, Burgundy is Burgundy. But I think it could be the next great terroir for Pinot Noir,” says Caitlin. “Central Otago is so far south and it’s so cold that the wines express all their freshness. They’re delicate, aromatic, light…ethereal is the word.”
But although they are ethereal, Amisfield wines also have a presence that goes beyond taste and aromatics. For this sommelier, the sense of touch is very important. For example, to pair one of the most representative dishes on the menu prepared by Vaughan Mabee, Caitlin chooses a Sauvignon Blanc aged in oak. “For the greenbone with whitebait and beurre blanc I choose the Sauvignon Blanc Fumée because the texture of the dish is very demanding. It’s not only about taste and aroma, but the structural elements of the wine are absolutely important,” she says.
Caitlin Waters is not only the perfect ambassador for Amisfield, but also for Central Otago Pinots. “The image they have outside New Zealand doesn’t match their full potential. The bottles that stay on the island, the ones that can age, develop a fascinating complexity. I wish the wineries had the resources to age their wines for a few years before releasing them to the market. When they do, people will see the greatness of these wines”.
Azahara Muriana, Sommelier at Cocina Hermanos Torres (Barcelona)
The three-starred restaurant Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona is a wine temple with a menu of nearly two thousand references that combines Catalan, Spanish and international gems. The team of sommeliers is made up of five people, three of whom, including Azahara, direct the service. This Barcelona-native does come from a family of restaurateurs and, precisely for that reason, her father tried to steer her away from the business.
“I did a degree in social integration, then I studied hotel management, but I fell in love with this profession when I met my boyfriend, who is a cook. We started working together and I became interested in being a sommelier. I have always been very restless and eager to learn, and that’s where I fell head over heels, I was caught by the passion of my colleagues, the winemakers… it’s a world that catches you”, explains Azahara.
Without abandoning the traditional wines that are essential in a three Michelin-starred restaurant, both Azahara and the rest of the wine team at Cocina Hermanos Torres lean toward natural or minimal intervention wines. “If a wine has so many flaws that it just tells you that the fruit and terroir have been lost, it doesn’t make sense to me,” Azahara nuances. “However, wines with minimal intervention are ideal for a cuisine that wants to express the true nature of the ingredients, like the brothers’”, says in reference to the twin chefs, Sergio and Javier Torres.
In any case, this sommelier believes that her job is not only to serve the wine or to create harmonies that work and match the tastes of her guests. “In the end, you are the messenger between the winemaker and the guest. When you present the pairing, you are the transmitter of all the work that goes on in the vineyard and the winery,” she explains.
Katharina Sarrot, Sommelier and Manager at The Restaurant (Zurich)
Katharina Sarrot did not have an early passion for wine. She was more interested in management. When she started working at “The Restaurant” at The Dolder Grand in 2018, she held the positions of head waiter, assistant manager, and manager. But in 2023, things changed.
“When Lisa Bader, the former head sommelier, left us in early 2023, I took over her position temporarily, hoping to find someone special to take her place as I focused on HR, marketing and other management duties. But we couldn’t find anyone who would fit into our team as well as she did, so after weeks of fruitless searching, Heiko said to me: ‘Why don’t you do it,'” the sommelier explains with absolute modesty.
Katharina forms a formidable trio with General Manager Evelyn Igl and Heiko Nieder, culinary director of The Dolder Grand and executive chef of the majestic two Michelin-starred “The Restaurant” – the crown jewel of this culinary castle’s exuberant gastronomic offerings. They prepare the pairings together as a team.
“Before we present a menu for the first time, Heiko and I get together and taste 70 to 80 bottles that I have pre-selected for the occasion. We taste and taste until we are both convinced that we have found the perfect combination. “It is very important for Heiko to get his ‘babies’ to where he wants them to be,” says Katharina. “Sometimes we disagree and have to open a few more bottles,” she smiles.
One of the most amazing things about Katharina is her ability to seamlessly combine both sides of her brain. On the one hand, she is the manager of the restaurant, dealing with vendor issues, human resources, and other challenges. On the other hand, she has the task – and she does it perfectly – of interpreting Heiko’s flavors and textures, enhancing them with liquid emotions, and making sure that guests get the message that solid, liquid gastronomy conveys when it is backed by top-notch professionals.
A self proclaimed Champagne lover, Katharina may have become a sommelier by accident, but even before she turned 30, she was named Gault Millau’s Young Sommelier of the Year 2024.
Missy Neil, Wine Director at Aska (Brooklyn, New York City)
After a “very unsatisfying number of years working on Wall Street,” Missy traded the trading floor for the wine cellar at the now-closed Del Posto and earned her certification from the American Sommelier Association. But her real break came when she took the job as head sommelier at Blanca, then a two-Michelin-star restaurant tucked inside Roberta’s Pizza in Bushwick, Brooklyn. She worked there for nearly four years until the pandemic shut down the industry, learning the art of pairing. But her biggest challenge came when Blanca failed to reopen. “I was extremely lucky to find my way to Aska. Fredrik’s food is by far the most interesting, challenging and exciting I have ever worked with,” says Missy. Fredrik Berselius’ cooking at two Michelin-starred Aska can be described as complex, or very rich, as he likes to combine textures, savory, salty and sour flavors.
At this two-Michelin-starred Brooklyn restaurant, Missy oversees a wine list with a very niche selection of producer champagnes and a vast majority of Burgundies, both red and white. She offers two alcoholic pairings and one non-alcoholic, which she notes is the most challenging: “The non-alcoholic category has changed remarkably in the last 10 years. Most of these beverages have a range of flavors and textures that not even wine or sake can match. I spend a lot of time trying to find pairings that are superlative and can meet our food at the level it requires.
The sommelier, who enjoys “introducing people to food and beverage pairings they would never have encountered,” says the main goal of her job is to “connect with the guest in a non-pretentious way, yet allow them to explore. Some guests want all the information, others want the stories. I lead with the stories, and if they want more technical information, of course I have it for them. And she is happy when guests leave wanting to book their next visit, curious about where to buy the wines they have tasted, and most of all, “when they want a hug.”
As mentioned, Aska’s cuisine is rich, complex, and subtle, and pairings are not always obvious, but she is particularly proud of how she paired one dish: “The langoustine course was probably the most difficult for me to pair. It is kind of a perfect swirl of sweet, salt and acid. The pairings I love with it are both sakes. One is from Niigata Prefecture. It is only 10% fermented and made in the Yamahai style. It reminds me very specifically of an overripe banana, once you peel it, that little strip that falls away on the inside. It has a round, fleshy texture that matches the texture of the dish. I can’t quite explain why it’s perfect, but it is. The other is from Mukai Shuzo and is made from an ancient red rice variety called Murasake. On the nose it’s like a cube of stock or fermented soy, but on the palate it’s sweet pomegranate juice mixed with olive brine and an almost sherry finish. The dish includes pickled red gooseberry, and the Ine Mankai works almost as a perfect extension of that flavor profile.
Laura Hernández, Head Sommelier at Restaurante Leo (Bogotá, Colombia)
Laura is a rare bird in her profession. Not only is she the sommelier at Leo, one of the foremost restaurants in Colombia, where her mother is the chef, but she is also the head bartender at La Sala de Laura, her bar. And as if that was not enough, she is reaping success in both places. Laura was recently named the best sommelier in Latin America by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and her bar was ranked 44th in the list of the 50 best bars.
Her profile is therefore as difficult to classify as her offer: “Our proposal is not only based on wines; we work with different drinks: fermented, distilled, cocktails and non-alcoholic options. The interesting thing is that local guests tend to enjoy more wine options, while foreigners are very open to exploring Colombian options other than wine. It’s a dynamic that enriches the experience and allows both audiences to discover something new,” says Laura.
When it comes to working with the food her mother prepares, Laura is clear that she also works with the chef: “We do it together, but the process is very intuitive for me. It’s like I have software installed that allows me to navigate through the different flavors in an organic way. Sometimes I look for similarities, sometimes for contrasts, but always with a vision that takes into account the biological and ecosystemic co-evolution of the drink and the ingredients of the dish, giving it a solid conceptual framework”.
As in the case of Azahara, Laura believes that her work goes beyond serving the right drinks: “For me, each wine is a story that speaks of the place where it is born, the hands that cultivate it and the choices that shape it. I always try to follow a line that prioritizes the work in the vineyard, my admiration for the producers and a clear expression of the terroir,” she says.
