Few of us have the means to own a yacht, stay at the finest hotels the world over, or have an array of personal assistants. But some can, if they so choose, afford a personal sommelier for a few hours of wine instruction. Turns out, it’s one of the wine industry’s little-known but gradually growing services.
“It’s really for anybody who wants to further their knowledge but doesn’t want to do it in a classroom setting,’’ said Michael Meagher, New England luxury account manager for the Heirloom Wine Group, who also serves as a personal sommelier in various capacities through his Medford-based company, Sommelier On Demand. “Wine can be intimidating. The home is where you feel safest.’’
Services start at around a couple hundred dollars (depending on an instructor’s credentials and expertise). A sommelier will visit a home to consult on anything from cultivating a wine collection - from just a few bottles to a full, custom-built cellar - to the best wine and food pairings for an upcoming party. In other cases, they make themselves available for an event or dinner, to help guests pick the proper Burgundy, riesling, or pinot noir to go with their dish, to give presentations, or to pour and answer questions.
While the whole personal sommelier concept can sound like something suited for the 1 percent, it appeals to all manner of wine lovers.
Finney, for her part, hired Meagher initially for private wine tastings (or “date nights’’) for her and her husband-to-be, Henry Helgeson. Eventually, the couple branched out to hosting small gatherings with a handful of couples and tastings of eight to 10 varieties of wine.
“It’s a great excuse to get friends together,’’ said Finney, adding that a home wine tasting is both entertaining and instructive. “It’s history, geography, a great conversation piece.’’
