Really? I mean I hate to say you are alone, but I have not had a bad experience with one. Infact we were there at the tail end of the day and got to chat with him about all the places he had been and what his personal favorites were.

In fairness the only place I had been to with a Sommlier was www.ontwenty.com which is by far my favorite place. If you have no other reason to go to Connecticut, On Twenty gives you a great reason.

If a patron is dining at a restaurant sophisticated enough to have a sommelier, said patron should have his/her act together to have "wine knowledge" down. A wine waiter is worth nothing more than expertise in suggesting a wine, and being good at decanting and pouring it. Period.

My suggestion is "Be Prepared." Know what you like, make sure it's good stuff, and be self-sufficient and self-confident. That way, you and the sommelier are merely comparing notes. Funny - it's like your doctor. (Work with me here.) The guy works for you, but he calls the shots. (No pun intended.) The sommelier is there to add credibility to the restaurant's selection or their wine cellar, and add a touch of class to the service. That's it. That little thingy around his neck does not render him God-like. It's just a job. A snobby job, but a job.

Do you already have a fave? Cabernet, here. Good Cabernet. If you do the homework, you can simply give the wine waiter your selection. It's a specialized function, but you're ultimately the customer, and a sommelier or wine waiter is precisely that. A waiter. I guess "wine server" is not yet PC. Good luck! (Otherwise, hit the spots with no sommelier. They're usually overrated anyway.)

Hmm... I always just tell them what we're having, and ask him what's good with that, and then whatever he says I say, "Okay" and then get back to my conversation with whoever.

I always find the ritual with the cork and the tasting of the first sip a tad commical. I asked one if they'd ever actually had a bad bottle, and he said, "Not that I know of, but lots of people *think* they've got a bad bottle, so we bring them something else, and help ourselves to what he didn't want in the kitchen."

But... you know what? I'm really not much of a conesoir. To me, all wine tasts like... wine.

With my eyes closed I can tell a red from a white, but not by the flavour, rather by the tanin, and after that, I just notice how sweet it is.

Because most people think that wine knowledge is some upperclass secret.
Go with what you know and what you like.
I am sure that you have enough knowledge.
If not take a couple wine classes and read a few magazines.
Join a wine lovers group.
Then you will have more confidence in discussing wine.

Remember that Wine Waiter s job is to educate patrons on the wine.
They have so much wine knowledge they love dispersing it.

Just demystify that wine is some sort of untouchable secret that only a few can know.

Its wine not rocket science!