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Where to Buy a Sommelier Pin: A Practical Guide

Sommelier pins are a small purchase that is easy to get wrong. Most disappointment comes from buying on a photograph alone, then finding the pin is twice the size it looked or bright enough to catch every light in the room.

What to check before you buy

Four specifications decide whether a pin works in service. Listings that omit them are worth treating carefully:

  • Size. Around 30mm is the professional standard. Much larger and it reads as costume jewellery. See the sommelier pin size guide.
  • Finish. Antique and matte over high polish, so it does not flash under dining room lighting.
  • Backing. A butterfly clutch holds through a full shift. Cheap open clutches loosen and pins get lost.
  • Presentation. If it is a gift, a box matters more than the pin costs.
SOMM DIGI sommelier pin set in its velvet presentation box with antique gold and silver grape pins
The SOMM DIGI set — two pins, velvet box, spare backs

Buying new online

Most sommelier pins sold today are bought online, because almost no restaurant supplier stocks them and general jewellers rarely carry wine motifs. Amazon is where the majority of new pins change hands, including the SOMM DIGI set, which ships as two pins — antique gold and antique silver — with a velvet presentation box, spare pin backs and a card.

View the SOMM DIGI sommelier pin set on Amazon

Vintage and secondhand listings

Marketplaces such as eBay carry older sommelier and wine guild pins, including genuine vintage tastevin and grape designs that are no longer produced. These can be lovely, and for collectors they are often the only source.

Two cautions. First, sizes on vintage pins run large by modern standards, so check the measurement rather than the photo. Second, some pins issued by certifying bodies or guilds appear on resale sites; wearing an insignia awarded for a qualification you do not hold is the one genuine misstep in this area. If a listing implies a rank, leave it.

Buying for a team

If you are buying for a restaurant group, a wine school or as staff recognition, quantities change the calculation. We cover that on the trade page.

Links to Amazon on this site are affiliate links. They do not change the price you pay.