SoDel servers learn from master sommelier

Master Sommelier Larry O’Brien recently presented a wine class to SoDel Concepts’ employees at Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, one of the company’s nine restaurants along the Delaware coast. Mike Zygmonski, wine director for SoDel Concepts, invited two servers from each restaurant to attend the event.

O’Brien, who works for Jackson Family Wines, was in town to lead a tasting class at the Southern Delaware Wine, Food and Music Festival, held Oct. 8. He is one of only 147 people in the Americas chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers to earn the title, which is presented only after a student completes four rigorous exams. Zygmonski has passed the first two exams and is studying to pass the third.

“This was a rare opportunity for our servers to learn from a respected sommelier who has achieved worldwide recognition,” said Zygmonski, who said it was an honor to meet O’Brien. “His knowledge on the subject of wine is impressive and inspiring. He’s a dynamic and approachable speaker. Our servers not only learned a lot, but they also had fun.”

O’Brien taught servers how to speak about wine so that the guests were confident in the server’s wine suggestions. The servers then tasted four wines. They also sipped a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and cabernet merlot in a blind taste test and learned how to discern the grapes and where the wine originated.

Wine, always an important part of the dining experience, has received a boost at SoDel Concepts’ restaurants since Zygmonski revamped the wine lists. Lupo Italian Kitchen, for instance, features an Italian-only list that is remarkably versatile. For more information, go to www.sodelconcepts.com.