Where to Start with Aldo Sohm
Aldo Sohm is an Austrian-born sommelier who serves as wine director at Le Bernardin, the legendary three-Michelin-star seafood restaurant in New York City. He won the title of Best Sommelier in the World at the ASI competition in 2008 and has been named Best Sommelier in America by multiple organizations. Despite these elite credentials, Sohm is known for his unpretentious, welcoming approach to wine service. He believes that wine should bring people together rather than intimidate them, and his restaurant is famous for making diners feel comfortable regardless of their wine knowledge. His book “Wine Simple” (2019), co-written with food journalist Christine Muhlke, translates that philosophy into print. It became one of the most recommended wine books for beginners and earned widespread praise for its practical, story-driven approach.
Start here
Wine Simple
Aldo Sohm & Christine Muhlke · 272 pages · 2019 · Easy
Themes: wine basics, sommelier knowledge, restaurant wine, food pairing, wine confidence
Aldo Sohm’s only book, and a perfect reflection of his approach to wine: generous, practical, and completely free of snobbery. “Wine Simple” is subtitled “A Very Approachable Guide from an Otherwise Serious Sommelier,” which captures its tone exactly.
Why Start Here
This is Sohm’s sole book, so the starting point is straightforward. But it is also genuinely the right entry point because it distills decades of high-level sommelier experience into advice that anyone can use. Sohm draws on thousands of conversations with diners at Le Bernardin to identify what people actually struggle with when it comes to wine, and he addresses those struggles directly.
The practical focus is what makes this book special. Rather than organizing by grape or region, Sohm organizes around real situations you face as a wine drinker. He knows that most people do not sit down to study wine. They need help choosing a bottle at a shop, ordering at a restaurant, or picking something for a dinner party. This book meets you where you are.
What to Expect
A warm, readable guide at 272 pages that feels like having a conversation with the most knowledgeable, least pretentious wine expert you have ever met. Expect stories from Le Bernardin, lists of recommended bottles, and practical strategies for every common wine situation. The writing is engaging and the advice is immediately usable.