Sommelier
The yacht sommelier looks after everything in the glass. You manage a cellar that can be worth more than a small house, plan pairings with the head chef, and serve the owner and guests at every meal. It is a specialist interior job, found mostly on yachts over 70m, and it suits people who already know wine and want to work at sea.
The jobWhat fills the day
The core of the job is the cellar. You keep a full inventory, track vintages and drinking windows, and check temperature and humidity every day. You order through approved suppliers in Antibes, Monaco or Fort Lauderdale, handle bonded stock and customs paperwork with the purser, and make sure bottles survive a rough crossing. When guests are aboard you serve at every meal, run tastings, and keep the bar and spirits stock in order. Between seasons you audit the cellar, sell or rotate older stock, and plan what to buy next.
With guests aboard the hours are long and the work is front of house. You meet the chef each morning to match wines to the menu, brief the service team, and decant before lunch and dinner. On charter you work from a preference sheet and often a guest-supplied list, so you need to know what is available in Porto Cervo or St Barths at short notice. On a private yacht you learn one family's tastes in detail. On yachts under 70m the role is usually folded into a second stew or head of service job.
Captains and chief stews hire two kinds of people. Some are land sommeliers from Michelin-starred restaurants or five-star hotels who take STCW and an ENG1 and join as specialists. Others are experienced stews who studied wine on leave and earned WSET Level 3 or a Court of Master Sommeliers certificate. Either way, you must be willing to pitch in with general interior duties on quiet days. A sommelier who refuses to turn down a cabin does not last.
Progression usually runs towards head of service, then chief stew or interior manager, where wine knowledge is a real advantage on large yachts. Some sommeliers stay specialist and move to bigger yachts with bigger cellars and higher pay. Others move ashore into wine supply for yachts, cellar consultancy for owners, or provisioning. Advanced qualifications such as WSET Diploma or Advanced Sommelier status make a clear difference when you apply for the top jobs.
Skills captains look for
- Cellar inventory management
- Food and wine pairing
- Decanting and table service
- Bonded stock and customs
- Spirits and cocktail knowledge
- Supplier sourcing abroad
- Silver service
A day aboardCharter day, 85m motor yacht, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Check cellar temperature and humidity logs, then reconcile last night's bottles against the inventory system.
Meet the head chef to go through lunch and dinner menus and choose pairings, including a non-alcoholic option for two guests.
Collect a delivery of Vermentino and Champagne from a local supplier with a deckhand in the tender, and check bottles for heat damage.
Serve lunch on the aft deck, open and present wines, and keep glasses topped without hovering.
Two hours off while guests are on the beach club. Most of it goes on sleep.
Prepare a tasting of Sardinian wines for the principal guest before dinner, and decant the red for the main course.
Brief the service team, then run wine service through a five-course dinner in the main saloon.
Work the bar for guests who stay up, then log every opened bottle and reset the wine fridges.
Off watch. Breakfast service starts without you, so you get a slightly later start tomorrow.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips, typically 10-15% of the charter fee shared across crew, can add several thousand dollars a month in season. Permanent roles on large yachts often run on rotation with paid leave. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Gets you hired
- WSET Level 3 Award in Wines
- Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier
- GUEST Interior Crew certificate
- PDSD
- WSET Level 3 Award in Spirits
Visas
- Schengen visa or EU passport
- US B1/B2 visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Stewardess & Interior Crew jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I join a yacht as a sommelier with no yachting experience?
Yes, if you have a strong restaurant or hotel background and a recognised wine qualification. You will still need STCW and an ENG1 before you apply. Expect to start on a larger yacht where a dedicated sommelier post already exists.
Which wine qualification matters most?
WSET Level 3 is the usual minimum that captains and chief stews look for. Court of Master Sommeliers Certified or Advanced level carries more weight for service roles, and the WSET Diploma helps on yachts with very large cellars.
Will I only work with wine?
Rarely. On quiet days and between charters most sommeliers help with service, bar work and some housekeeping. Being flexible is one of the main things interviewers test for.
How many yachts actually employ a sommelier?
Fewer than you might think. Dedicated posts are mostly on yachts over 80m, so there are relatively few openings. Many people get the same work through a stew or head of service role with wine responsibility.