Wine service role-play: 6 scenarios to train your team

The short answer: role-play works when it is short, specific and honest. Give one person a guest card with a hidden detail, let another play the sommelier, and have a third watch and give feedback. Five minutes per scenario, then swap. The six below are situations every sommelier meets, and they cover what the Court of Master Sommeliers tests in service: recommending, pairing with reasons, offering alternatives and handling a difficult moment.

How to run a session

• Three roles: guest, sommelier, observer. Rotate so everyone plays all three.
• A guest card for each scenario, with one detail the sommelier must discover by asking: a budget, an allergy, a dish, a dislike.
• Use your real wine list and menu, so every answer names a wine you actually sell.
• Five minutes of play, three of feedback: one thing that worked, one thing to try next time.

Scenario 1: “Can you help us choose?”

The guest card: a couple, looking lost in a long list. Hidden detail: they want red, they're sharing the lamb, and they don't want to spend much.

• Good looks like: two or three short questions first: what are you eating, what do you usually enjoy, red or white? For budget, point to a price on the list and ask “something around here?” Then offer two or three wines at different prices, each with one sentence on why.
• The trap: starting with the most expensive bottle, or a lecture. A guest who feels judged stops talking.
• Remember: you can't pour a taste from a bottle you haven't opened. If house policy allows, offer a small taste of a wine sold by the glass.

Scenario 2: “Tell me about Pinot Noir”

The guest card: curious, not an expert. Hidden detail: they want to know if it will be too heavy with fish.

• Good looks like: three things, in guest language: light to medium body, red fruit such as cherry and raspberry, soft tannins and fresh acidity. Then one useful fact: it can work with richer fish such as salmon or tuna. Then a wine from your list.
• The trap: reciting a textbook. If you want the fun version, I wrote why Pinot Noir is a diva.

Scenario 3: “I'm allergic to sulphites”

The guest card: a solo diner at the bar. Hidden detail: their doctor has told them to avoid sulphites.

• Good looks like: take it seriously and be honest. No wine is completely free of sulphites, because yeasts make a little during fermentation. Wines labelled “no added sulphites” still contain some. You can't promise a wine is safe for them, so offer the facts and let the guest decide, with a non-alcoholic option ready.
• The trap: promising a “sulphite-free” wine to make the guest happy. That is a medical promise a sommelier can't make.
• Read more: sulfite-free wine: what it really means.

Scenario 4: “What goes with the grilled salmon?”

The guest card: ordering the salmon. Hidden detail: it comes with a lemon butter sauce.

• Good looks like: ask about the sauce, then offer a white and a red. A Chardonnay with some richness for the butter, or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc for the lemon; a light Pinot Noir if they prefer red. Name the actual wines from your list, with producer and vintage.
• Say why in guest language: “The acidity cuts through the butter”, not a chemistry lesson.
• The trap: answering with a grape, not a wine. Sauvignon Blanc is a grape grown all over the world; the guest needs to know which bottle.
• Go deeper: food and wine pairing for CMS exams.

Scenario 5: “I tried Pinot once and didn't like it”

The guest card: sceptical. Hidden detail: the wine they remember tasted thin and sour.

• Good looks like: ask what they didn't like, then use the answer. Thin and sour? Suggest a riper, rounder style, or a different grape altogether. If house policy allows, offer a small taste of a by-the-glass wine.
• The trap: telling them they had a bad bottle, or pushing a wine because it scored well. Sell the feeling, not the score: describe how the wine will taste with their dinner.

Scenario 6: the guest who changes their mind

The guest card: asks for “something new”, then, after your suggestion, says “actually, maybe a Napa Cabernet”. Hidden detail: they're celebrating and want something they recognise.

• Good looks like: follow the guest, warmly, without a trace of disappointment. You suggested a Brunello di Montalcino, Sangiovese from Tuscany; they want Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are full-bodied reds, so connect them: “Great choice for the steak.” Offer one or two from the list.
• The trap: ego. The goal was never your recommendation; it was their evening.

What the observer watches

• Greeting, eye contact and a relaxed opening.
• Questions before recommendations.
• Two or three options, at more than one price.
• A clear reason for each, in plain words.
• Confirming the order out loud: vintage, producer and vineyard, as the Court's Service Standards ask.
• Checking back after the first glass.

Practising for an exam? Pair these with Certified service exam tips and 4 common guest complaints. For pairing practice any time, SOMM DIGI AI has quizzes and a pairing tool, free to start.

Questions people ask