Chris Oppewall, president of Cru Uncorked, is a sommelier himself, and he knows that interacting with guests is key to ordering wine. He also knows that he and the other somms at his fine-dining restaurant just outside of Cleveland are most familiar with the 15,000 bottles in Cru’s cellar. But he thought it would be fun to see what AI could do.
“I’ve used ChatGPT for staff training and thought, ‘What would we get if we asked AI to pair wines with a menu?’” said Oppewall.
He periodically holds “Sommelier Showdowns” at Cru Uncorked, where the three lead sommeliers engage in a friendly competition over their wine picks. Executive chef Sam Lesniak creates a four-course tasting menu reflecting the restaurant’s French and New American cuisine, and the somms pair wines with each course, serving them blind. Guests then cast one vote per round, choosing their favorite pairings.
This time, Oppewall posted the menu to AI, eventually switching from ChatGPT to Microsoft Copilot as it worked better for this task, he said. AI’s wine pairings went up against those chosen by the three somms—Oppewall, Janine Poleman and Anthony Taylor—and were presented to the guests in a blind tasting.
“There were two landslides—one in favor of the somms, the other in favor of AI’s pairings—and two courses with very close calls,” said Oppewall.
Copilot tied the sommeliers on the first course: Seared Tuna with wasabi cream, cucumber, avocado and sesame. Poleman chose an Alsatian white, Edelzwicker 2022, and AI went for a white Burgundy called Close de Meix Saint-Aubin Cru 2021; each received 12 points.
But the second course went to the sommeliers. To pair with Iberico Pork accompanied by butternut squash risotto, goat cheese fondue and broccolini, Oppewall chose a Pinot Noir, Mes Cinq Terroirs 2020, and received 16 points. AI’s pick, Lulu & Lucien Bandol Rouge 2022, got 8 points.
AI redeemed itself with the entree course: Prime C.A.B. Strip with potato pave, mushroom puree, glazed shallots and peppercorn sauce. Copilot paired the beef with Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac Cru Classé 2019, a red Bordeaux, scoring 16 points. Taylor chose Relentless Syrah 2021, for a total of 8 points.
With the Artisan Cheese course, Taylor edged out AI by 13 over 11. The somm went with Clos du Pappilon 2019, a Loire Valley white, while AI chose a non-vintage Brut sparkling wine.
“AI was about 80% accurate in picking the right wine and staying within budget,” said Oppewall. The chatbot’s wine preferences tended toward classic pairings and there was overlap with wines Cru Uncorked features and chooses regularly, he added. But the somms found that about 25% of the wines AI recommended were not in Cru’s cellar. Asking for a second choice drastically increased the error rate. Although time-consuming, entering the menu and wine list from scratch each time created the best results.
In an informal poll of the restaurant’s guests, the sommeliers found that many had used AI in situations where they didn’t know the menu and no somm was available. But they much prefer sommelier interaction to ensure they get a quality bottle.
In the end, “the somms narrowly won the showdown, but guests still prefer having a conversation with a real sommelier,” said Oppewall. And he sees no threat of AI taking jobs away from the wine pros. “Everything AI provides comes from a knowledgeable human entering the data,” he said.
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