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Wine Steward/Sommelier

Types of Degrees Wine Steward/Sommelier Majors Are Earning

Those studying Wine Steward/Sommelier can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4
Associate’s Degree	3

What Wine Steward/Sommelier Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Wine Steward/Sommelier develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Wine Steward/Sommelier emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Wine Steward/Sommelier program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Negotiation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Wine Steward/Sommelier careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Processing Information	3.7 / 7
Working with Computers	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7
Monitoring and Controlling Resources	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Wine Steward/Sommelier professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Oracle Taleo	Human resources software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Oracle Database	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates include:

• Tradesman
• Fur Buyer
• Merchant
• Category Planner
• Merchandise for Resale Purchasing Agent
• Contracts Specialist
• Contract Sourcing Specialist
• Art Dealer
• Procurement Representative
• Resident Buyer
• Commodity Buyer
• Gold Buyer
• Technical Sourcing Specialist
• Purchasing Agent
• Purchasing Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	24.5%
Bachelor’s degree	23.5%
Postsecondary certificate	15.3%
Less than a high school diploma	14.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.6%
Some college courses	6.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Wine Steward/Sommelier?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.4% of Wine Steward/Sommelier degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5	71.4%
Men	2	28.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2	28.6%
Asian	1	14.3%
Hispanic or Latino	1	14.3%
Black or African American	1	14.3%
Race Unknown	1	14.3%
International Students	1	14.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Wine Steward/Sommelier Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Wine Steward/Sommelier Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Wine Steward/Sommelier graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.05
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	12.0501
Bartending/Bartender	12.0502
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	12.0599
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.0500
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	12.0503
Culinary Science/Culinology	12.0509
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
Institutional Food Workers	12.0508
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter	12.0506
Reserved	12.0580

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.