Arvid Rosengren – recently crowned the world’s No. 1 Sommelier has worked hard to get here, bettering himself continually with theoretical learning and blind tastings. If you think it is easy to become a sommelier and rank the first in the world at that, think again! It involves naming cryptic grapes that make up a Bulgarian wine, naming Germany’s wine regions in reverse-size order and not the least – pleasing your customers’ requests, especially in delicate situations.

In an interview with Decanter magazine, he mentioned that one of the important lessons he has learnt as a sommelier is to be humble and listen to his guests. And humble he has stayed. Arvid, born in Sweden, lives in SoHo and works as a Wine Director at Charlie Bird, which he describes as having a “fun and friendly atmosphere”, just his kind of place. Here, they wear sneakers with button-downs, listen to hip-hop and drink old wines.

One of the most important tasks for a wine director is creating and managing a restaurant's wine list. But what sets apart a just-ok list from a great one? How does a wine director go about choosing wines and making an incredible list, one that also works on the bottom-line?

BTN interviews Arvid Rosengren for his insights on how he does this successfully for Charlie Bird.