There are currently around 180 master sommeliers in the entire world, just three of which are from Canada. Toronto’s Jennifer Huether is the latest addition. She earned the distinction earlier this month, becoming the first female in the country – and one of the very few in the world – to do so.
Previously a sommelier at establishments like North 44 and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, she’s now the head sommelier at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (including e11even restaurant). It took her six years to get the accolade, and we caught up with her to talk about the journey.
How did you decide that you wanted to dedicate a good portion of your life to wine?
It was back in the late 90s. I have a good friend and chef, Av Atikian [of Jam Café], who has a passion for wine. We were chatting one day and I said I didn’t like white wine, so he made a bunch of little dishes and he paired them perfectly with wine. And I was just floored. I couldn’t believe it. So I started doing little courses at George Brown, just out of interest, and I realized this is actually an avenue you can take. It’s endless, the amount you can learn about wine.
What was your family’s reaction when you told them your chosen path?
Back when I was becoming interested in pursuing this, they didn’t really know what it was. They didn’t know you could actually make a living out of it. There were a lot of jokes, like, ‘Oh, you’re going to become a professional drinker.’ So it took them a while to understand what it’s all about.
As a female sommelier, what kind of barriers did you encounter?
I think the barriers have mostly come from the Old World. In France and Italy, for example, when I meet with winemakers, they’re like, ‘Ok sweetheart, this is a cabernet sauvignon.’ They just instantly assume that you have no knowledge. Over there, being a sommelier is a chosen profession and it’s really for men. It was interesting doing it in Canada because people were very open to the idea of female sommeliers, and now I think it’s at the point where it’s completely accepted. I don’t think that’s the case in Europe.
Do you think women have qualities that give them any advantages in this kind of industry?
I think women are naturally a little better at multitasking. Some have said that women have better palates, but I haven’t found that to be true. I do think we’re naturally a bit more diplomatic, which is an important aspect in our field. Even if you have an incredible knowledge and an incredible palate, it just doesn’t go over well if you’re forcing it on people. You have to do a very delicate dance of not insulting people’s intelligence but also helping to guide them.
What did you find the most challenging about getting your certification?
Oh man. Well, first of all, it’s an incredibly tough thing to get. There’s a service element to the exam, where you’re literally on stage having to perform all the tasks under pressure, being hammered with questions, and having to do everything technically and perfectly. Even though I do it every night on the floor, and I love it, when you’re put under that kind of microscope, it took me awhile to master being comfortable in that kind of scenario. So learning to keep my cool and not let the stress get the better of me was probably the hardest part.