Why create a new Sommelier Association and for what purpose?

The idea of creating the A.S.E. stemmed from an observation based upon professional sommeliers’ experiences.  They have all worked for many years in restaurants, hotels, teaching establishments … striving to popularise the world of wine, but are convinced of the absolute necessity to adapt to the developments taking place within the  economy of the wine industry.
France’s marvellous era, where confidence was blindly accorded to the “French art of living”, is now a thing of the past.  New influences from the four main points of the world have infiltrated themselves at the low ebb of this market.  The challenge now consists of restoring the reputation of Europe’s cultures and traditions, by considering new strategies for communication and distribution, which correspond more appropriately with the new situation of globalisation. 

The A.S.E.’s orientations

The A.S.E will have the particularity of encouraging links between people, European wine professionals (sommeliers, managers of wine shops, maîtres d’hôtels, restaurateurs, wine growers, as well as others involved in the wine industry) and not Sommelier Associations in European countries. 
Members of the A.S.E. undertake to do their utmost to promote the development of the profession as a whole:

By continuing an assiduous perfection of their knowledge and skills, to constantly honour the ethics of the sommelier profession and further increase its reputation;

By passing on to the future generation skills and traditions, as well as the obligations, principles and techniques which are characteristic of the hotel sector, culinary art or wine service …

In addition, its activity will also consist of working towards a European identity for sommeliers – shared by each European country – and consequently it will propose and establish the approval of projects to gain a better recognition of the various professions.  Consumers’ and tourists’ contacts with sommeliers or other member of staff of an establishment will therefore be facilitated.

To begin, the A.S.E. has set itself the aim of organising and encouraging inter-European exchanges between sommeliers, in order to combine the methods of the profession and coordinate them.
It will therefore be easier to redefine the needs and open up new orientations for training and subsequently for the perfection of students’ skills.  Even nowadays, many foreign sommeliers come to study in France and French sommeliers go and work abroad. 
Too often these sommeliers remain members of associations in their countries of origin, without being able to follow their activities.

An association for the future …

It was time to reconsider the organisation of teaching and apprenticeship in order to advance the integration of sommeliers and enable them to gain access to the rank of “European Sommeliers”.

The A.S.E.’s main objective is to create links between hotel and catering schools in various European countries, to set up exchanges between classes and then establish sponsorship schemes, by offering professional sommeliers the chance of becoming sponsors or role models of one or several sommelier students, from European countries. Some students will be accepted for a work experience or training period in the sponsor’s establishment.  The sponsor will ensure a follow-up of the student’s progress throughout his or her training period.  The student will also receive assistance from the sponsor to find accommodation during his or her training period.

The A.S.E. will also continue to sponsor and take part in competitions, as well as gastronomic and wine events, skilfully employing the assets of the profession. 
In the future, these exhibitions should inevitably convince hotel and catering school students, future students and above all employers from all sectors, to rehabilitate the sommelier profession and further its development. 

Come full circle …
… By reinforcing contacts between European wine growers and therefore ward off the invasive expansion of wines from other continents (America, Australia, Africa and soon Asia (China)).  The A.S.E. is determined to join forces in order to defend European productions. 

“Although it has spread far across the world, the vine’s birthplace is in Europe!  Wine growing has always been carried out here on a human scale, to ensure quality.”
The link between the wine grower and the sommelier is still a guarantee of quality and of good wine consumption
Strengthening those links which already exist, seems the vital condition for protecting our wines.: this is the summing up of all our members.

“Drinking wine is as natural as eating, but wine also provides enjoyment: sensorial delight, as well as intellectual and aesthetic pleasures …”