My friend, my mentor, our professor… Click here to read about Prof. Dagorn, MS.
Wine & Beverage Management, S'15
"We Study Wine"
My friend, my mentor, our professor… Click here to read about Prof. Dagorn, MS.
The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.
Prior to taking this class I honestly did not know what the word Sommelier meant. Although I have heard the word before and I intuitively associated it with prestige, luxury, and sophistication. As I am getting to learn more and more about wines, I am beginning to think it denotes a high level of expertise and knowledge in wines. However, one does not become a sommelier overnight, but by trial and error which is a big part of the process of success. It can take years and years to master the skills necessary to become great at this highly respected trade.
After reading this article I see why I chose this profession to be in. This industry lives off of people just like Mr. Dagorn. He is dedicated and extremely knowledgable about the business he is in. Although most Sommeliers end their career after a couple of years, Mr. Dagorn continued on way past anyones expectations. He explained his career (this industry) in the best way; “I don’t think this is a profession you can become expert in overnight.” That is one of the reasons he has earned the credentials that he has: Master Sommelier and Best Sommelier in New York.
Going through the article,”Aging on the vine,” and the assigned reading chapters, I was able to better understand the meaning of the word Sommelier. In Dining Room, a Sommelier is responsible for assisting guests with choosing wines and pouring them; moreover, sommelier has to have a complete knowledge of the menu items in order to suggest wines that will pair with the ingredients and the flavors of the items. According to Mr. Dagorn, Master Sommelier and the best Sommelier in New York,”When someone asks me how to become a Sommelier, I say start as a busboy, then a waiter and learn how to talk to people. Learn about food too because wine is a complement to food—not the other way around.” From this point, I believe that becoming an expert in this profession will take years of hard work; in addition to that, knowing how to approach and talk to guests play an essential role to succeed in this profession.
With my experience in assisting my restaurants sommelier I can fully understand Mr. Dagorn passion and dedication; she amazes me with her knowledge and persistence through the busiest nights. I agree on how much there is too learn and it never stops, with questions from guests every night to helping out the staff on shifts it only takes pure dedication. Reading that there was an age of the sommelier’s time in the business does not come much to a surprise either because the pulling of wines could take a toll on anyone. This article inspired and reinstalled feelings I had for the hospitality business in spite of Mr. Dagorn’s age he continued his craft and created a legacy for himself.
Mr. Roger Dagorn is definitely someone who can teach and motivate individuals who are eager to become Sommeliers. Mr. Dagorn strikes me as a powerful and passionate individuals who really enjoys his occupation. I believe that soaking up any knowledge you can will make your job easier, and it seems that he is aware that their is always room to learn something new. I also agree with the fact that to be a successful sommelier, one must be knowledgeable about food and pairing up or suggesting certain entrĂ©e’s with wine will lead to a successful restaurant or business. As Mr. Dagorn said, “Learn about food too because wine is a complement to food—not the other way around”.
This is a very touching article. It shows that Citytech may not have as big of a name as some other schools, but we can pride our selves on our professors. We are lucky to have many professors like Mr. Dagorn, who are extremely successful and passionate about what they do. In the classroom the passion that a professor may have, is potentially casted into every student making us all apart of their legacy.
For someone whose world revolves around wine and quality wine for that matter, that at the age of 63 one is still a sommelier and not just about to stop, is quite inspiring. Roger Dagorn of Tocquevillea is that man for you. The nature of work can be quite tiring which explains why the young generation finds it easy to navigate through. Sometimes one may want to continue not because he just wants to earn more, but also because what drives him is the passion and love for the job. The pressure can be too much to quit but at least it is inspiring to know nothing can really stop someone.
Just learning the ropes with as much patience and enough skill can take you far. Most people may not even know how valuable the profession is in good delivery of service. There is more than just wanting to get into the profession for an aspiring enthusiast. It takes learning about the skill first, then starting from the bottom up through the ranks until you arrive at the top level of actualization. There is also need to know how to handle people. By simply getting your social skills in order then with patience and resilience, success is guaranteed. To become an expert is a continuous and progressive process, not an overnight thing that is if you love what you do.
As I was reading the article I didn’t know what the word Sommelier meant.
In this Profession known as hospitality you must love what you do.
It cant be taught. It must be in your heart. Mr. dragon loves what he do.
He doesn’t look at it as a job but as a career. The reason he hasn’t gotten burnt out because of his dedication to the craft. He started in the restaurant business working for his father as a busboy then a waiter. He love talking to people had interest in food and wine is a complement to food.
In chapter 16 we discuss wine service and the importance of a Sommelier. Sommeliers are service leaders and their knowledge is invaluable. Restaurant owners, service staff and customers all rely on Sommeliers opinions and recommendations on wine. It is high a pressured and extremely detailed job that takes years to perfect. I once saw a documentary called Somm and to become a Master Sommelier takes months and countless hours of studying, research and preparation. I’m impressed with all of professor Dagorn’s achievements and also proud that he’s an adjunct professor at our college!
When I took the dining class it was the first time hearing what is a sommelier. Usually the manager will act as a sommelier going around talking about wine to the guest. There is a vast amount of information on wine, such as the grape variety, how was it processed, how it was grown, where does it come from, and what temperature to store the wine just to name a few. The things that took me by surprised in this article was that most sommelier retire by the time they are 40 years of age due to the physical labor, long hours and low pay. What really impressed me was that Mr. Dagorn obtained master sommelier title which is one of the highest title in this industry. Mr. Dagorn stated that he will work until he is 70 years old because “Maybe it’s just because I don’t know how to do anything else,” which means he has passion for what he does.
After reading the article, It was most interesting when Mr. Dagorn said, “Learn about food too because wine is a complement to food—not the other way around.” This is especially important because wine pairing can make the dining experience even better. I was also surprised that most sommeliers leave their jobs before 40 years of age. I did not realize how much labor and hard work was involved in being a sommelier. Mr. Dagorn’s dedication after all of his years of work is very admirable.
Prior to reading this article, I did not put much thought into the age range of Sommeliers and how long their careers usually last. It is riveting to learn how Dagorn is considered rather “old” in the industry. It is to my understanding that a Sommelier which credentials that considers he or she to an expert it take time and as Dagorn mentions in this article “I don’t think this is a profession you can become expert in overnight”. It speaks volumes to me when you hear of how a person goes after knowledge and teaches themselves about a craft via experiences and opportunities they’ve been presented. Just as Dagron did from being a dishwasher, busboy, then waiter. It took a certain level of passion and curiosity to bring him to the level of skill/expertise he at. It is inspiring. If the opportunity presents itself, in the near future, I would be honored to meet Mr. Dagorn.