Chefs experience it at the mere mention of “umami,” and bartenders get it when their barrel-aged Manhattans come out of the oak tasting rounder and fuller than any drink made à la minute. But for certain sommeliers—those stewards of coveted, high-profile wine cellars at restaurants like Bolud Sud or Rouge Tomate in NYC—it takes more than uncorking another rare wine bought at auction to elicit that vocational climax of passion and excitement. Only a truly special bottle can yank them out of auto-drive, hoist their inner freak flack to the heavens, and become a raging somm boner.
While somm boner yields no Google results (wow?), the Oxford American English Dictionary might describe it as a phrase that’s “thrown around” in the “back of the house” in restaurants or at “staff trainings,” as a “playful dig” at fellow oenophiles who go “loco over a new liquid discovery” and can’t seem to “shut up about it.” And since somms are drinkers first and wine obsessives second, the source of their excitment can stray far from the first-growth Bordeaux and premier cru Champagnes you’d expect—anything from funky Belgian sours to vintage Chartreuse has the potential to be a somm’s liquid Viagra.
Not only do women possess a keener sense of smell than men, but their somm boners are also bigger and bolder than anything guys can dream of achieving.
Like other underground phrases (such as chefs referring to a squiggle of cream or swipe of yogurt on a plate as “bukkake”), the somm boner expression is a relatively new addition to the industry vernacular. We traced it back to a day when Jeff Taylor, the Beverage Director at Betony, was running around the restaurant with a new amaro, pushing tastes and telling everyone how amazing it was. Eamon Rockey, the General Manager, invited his public relations team to taste some new dishes, and after the pestering had gone on quite long enough, he called out Taylor out in front of everyone. “That’s Jeff,” said Eamon, pointing to the bespoke-suited Taylor who was carefully pouring some Braulio Amaro from the Italian Alps for a Junior Account Executive, “and his new somm boner.”
The phrase became an inside joke among the Betony crew, and eventually began to catch on among other wine-world friends. As it spread, one thing quickly became apparent: Women get somm boners, too. Not only do women possess a keener sense of smell than men, but their somm boners are also bigger and bolder than anything guys can dream of achieving.
While the image of a sommelier Texas-tucking his way through the dining room is rather unfortunate, the idea of a unique drink that sends even the most jaded industry vet into a frenzy is intriguing. So, we decided to check in on some wine-world pros and discover the liquid obsessions that fuel their #sommboner. Just remember: Next time a somm asks you to taste an antique Chartreuse, or some fermented and distilled coconut palm sap (Arrack), don’t turn him down and ask for another glass of Chardonnay. You never want to kill the somm boner.
Written by Jonathan Cristaldi (@NobleRotNYC)
Jeff Taylor
Wine director at Betony
“Chartreuse in all forms—specifically from Pouring Ribbons in the East Village. I’ve even had an eau-de-vie from Chartreuse dating back to the early 1920s. Fantastic stuff that I can sit, sniff, sip and contemplate for hours.” (Photo: Jakob Lyman)
Patrick Cappiello
Wine director/partner at Pearl & Ash
“My somm boner comes from drinking Overnoy—a highly allocated wine from the Jura. It’s as delicious as it is hard to get, which makes it hard to discern where the boner comes from.” (Photo: Cellar Tracker)
Michael Madrigale
Wine director at Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud
“Madeira. There is nothing in the world like it. Tommy Jefferson used to drink it. It’ll last longer than the alabaster bricks in the Great Pyramids. It reminds me of Drake’s coffee cake and Mrs. Butterworth’s maple syrup. It makes my mind reel and helps me dream of great things. It’s a necessity of life for me.” (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Matthew Kaner
Sommelier/partner at Bar Covell
“As much as I want to talk about my non-wine somm boners, the fact is almost two years ago I turned 30, so for a few years before, and leading up to that milestone, I was collecting birth-year wines. And it turns out that 1983 drinks really fucking well from all over the world! From both banks of Bordeaux to Napa Valley, not to exclude the Pinots from Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and Oregon—even red and white Burgundy, Mosel Riesling, Mendoza Malbec/Cabernet/Merlot…if you can get your hands on any of these wines, vintage 1983, buy them all. Your somm boner will thank me.”
Leiti Hsu
Social sommelier and host at WORD OF MOUTH on Heritage Radio Network
“Saffron Gin—it’s neon-orange and crazy looking and I wouldn’t quaff it, but I do like to make Bloody Marys with it and throw in some pickled okra and a knuckle of butter-poached lobster on top. It’s brain-trippy.” (Photo: Peter Hurley)
Jesse Rodriguez
Sommelier at Studio Restaurant at Montage Resort (Laguna Beach, CA)
“After a shift at the restaurant, I usually head down to El Campeon Carnieria, a great tiny, no-frills Mexican joint in San Juan Capistrano. If my cousin, Mike Figueroa (also the co-owner of The Ryde, a cool, retro surf clothing line out of Laguna Beach) and his crew are around, I’ll hang with them and kick it back with a nice cold Trumer Pils—does it for me every time.”
Mia Van de Water
Wine director at North End Grill
“My current obsession is Cynar, an amaro whose flavoring herbs and spices are dominated by artichoke, from which the liqueur derives its name. I like my Cynar neat, after dinner (preferably after a few bottles of wine with similarly geeky wine friends), although perhaps the greatest application is the Salted Cynar shot, which is exactly what it sounds like: Cynar + fleur de sel = magic, especially at the end of a night of cocktails.”
Claire Paparazzo
Sommelier and beverage consultant at clairempaparazzo.com
“This does it for me: the beer-and-shot combo at Subject LES bar called “Cigar City Wheat + Rock Candy Rye.” This shot is a miniature craft cocktail: Overholt rye whiskey, watermelon rock candy, citrus peel, cinnamon and cloves. The combo is what I crave after a night’s work—the wheat beer is so crisp and I love to drink it from a can with the shot that has a sexy spiced-watermelon flavor with the rye. It would be the ideal Jolly-Rancher-for-grown-ups flavor. And at, $10 it does the trick and goes down smooth.”
Pascaline Lepeltier
Beverage director at Rouge Tomate
“What I want and drink when off is almost always gueuze (lambic beer). Any type of sour beers would work, but my nature inclines towards Belgium brews—though the quest for a good gueuze can be difficult even in NYC.” (Photo: guidedesbieres.com)
Jane Lopes
Sommelier at Ristorante Morini
“American whiskey gives me a somm boner—everything from Buffalo Trace bourbon to Van Winkle Family Reserve rye. I’ll drink it in a Sazerac or a Manhattan in the comfort of my own home; I’ll take shots of it at the end of the night in a dimly lit bar; and I’ll drink it from a flask in a movie theater. Company is welcome, but not necessary.”
Justin Leone
Chef sommelier at Restaurant Tantris (Munich, Germany)
“At the risk of seeming utterly “Snobby Somm” predictable, I’ll just have to unabashedly ride into the fire and play the Jacques Selosse card—hands down the best Champagne ever, and my definitive somm boner. And why not? Anselme single handedly changed the face of Champagne, playing Robin Hood for every unknown grape grower, wrenching power away from the gluttonous Grandes Marques, and returning it to the people who actually tend the land.
“He re-established the long-lost concept of terroir in the Champagne region, and encouraging a revolution of ambitious youngsters to take up arms against a sea of innocuous bubbles. Who cares if these farmers have but one or two hectares in their holsters; it certainly didn’t deter any of the names which we now so proudly display on our wine lists: Emmanuel Brochet, Jerome Prevost, Ulysses Colin, et cetera.” (Photo: winemonopole.com)