Becoming a Certified Sommelier: Breakthru South Carolina’s Jason Martin
Jul. 31, 2017
Part three of a four part series profiling our people who have completed the journey to becoming a certified sommelier. Part one – Alison Spivey. Part two – Ivy Anderson.
For Jason Martin, discovering wine took time.
“I grew up in a family that didn’t drink at all,” Martin said. “Wine was totally foreign to me until I was about 21.”
Martin worked in restaurants, which exposed him to the world of wine. However, it wasn’t until he joined Ben Arnold Beverage Company (now Breakthru South Carolina) that he became fully immersed in the industry. Now, Martin serves as the Upstate ADS for Breakthru SC.
When and how did you decide you wanted to turn your love of wine into a career?
Jason Martin: While buying for a small restaurant, I would sit and talk with the wine reps that called on me. At that point, I thought I would like to work in this industry, so I applied for a few jobs, including one at Breakthru, but I was not hired. I tried my hand at a couple of other sales jobs for a while, including one that exposed me to better wines, but like a lot of other people from the restaurant world, I ended up back in restaurants a couple of years later. Then a friend secured another job interview for me with Breakthru. That time things worked out much better and within a few weeks, I knew that this industry was a fit for me.
Becoming a certified sommelier is an intense process. Which part of the process did you find the most challenging?
The most challenging part was creating the time to study and prepare. It takes a lot of hours to prepare for that exam. It’s a real commitment! We all work very hard and have personal responsibilities that demand our time and attention as well. Personally, I had to begin my theory studies at night once I’d put my children to bed and use my lunch times to practice tasting and service with somms in my market who were willing to give me their time and guidance.
Which part was your favorite?
Tasting for sure! Any sommelier loves wine and to taste it but it’s also a fun exercise to blind taste outside of just the enjoyment of the product. Blind tasting also allows you to focus on just what’s in your glass. Not the supplier it comes from. Not how much it costs, or how many placements of it you need to make. Not even a personal experience you’ve previously had with that particular wine. Just the wine in your glass. There is something very pure and beautiful about that.
Tell us about your role and responsibilities at Breakthru.
My role at Breakthru is unique. My main responsibilities are to be an added layer of sales and support for our key customers, and to provide specialized attention to the luxury and more esoteric products in our portfolio. I present at many events and manage market visits from key winery and supplier personalities when they come to our state. In the roughly three years that I’ve been in my current position I have been provided the flexibility to expand and evolve the ADS role in SC. I provide training and education for our sales force and in some cases, support them with their personal wine knowledge development.
What are some recent industry trends that have caught your eye or surprised you?
One trend, if you can call it a trend, is the amount of young people who enjoy wine. When I was younger, wine was a beverage mainly chosen by an older demographic, but that has really changed and it’s a great thing!
Others have been rosé and sparkling wine. Until recently we have found nothing but frustration in trying to turn the consumers onto these wonderful wines. It may be wishful thinking but I’d like to believe that all the years of industry people praising rosé has played the largest role in rosé’s increased popularity. The other wine we are constantly encouraging the consumer to drink is sparkling wine so maybe we will see this category show similar growth in the coming years.
Which varietals are your favorite to enjoy during the summer months?
I enjoy crisp whites and rosé in the summer months. Some personal favorites are Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or South Africa, Vermentino and Pinot Gris.
What is your favorite part of working in the wine industry?
I truly love the product! I love the exposure to great food and wine and so many different people from different walks of life. I enjoy helping customers and suppliers and the people I work with, but I think most of all I love the fact that wine can relate to so many things because the subject of wine encompasses so many things. The subject of wine includes things like history, chemistry, sociology, geography, geology, weather, agriculture, the human body and its senses – the list goes on and on.