Erin Burke, Bartender and Sommelier in Training from Ryan Jacobson on Vimeo.

For fifteen years, Erin Burke has been passionate about serving her customers. After tending bar around the world, Burke has settled at Westerly, Rhode Island summer hot spot, The Windjammer.

Now in her fifth summer at the Windjammer, Burke has loads of regular customers that come to visit her from far near and far. She has dabbled in other professions, but has come to find that she is happiest when she is behind the bar, and helping others have an enjoyable experience.

“Every day is a good day” says Burke, citing “the ocean, and the beach” as her office window views.

Now, at the age of 34, Burke has began the long process of becoming a certified Sommelier. A Sommelier is a trained wine professional, normally working in fine dining restaurants, and specializes in all aspects of wine knowledge.

Burke hopes her new title will help her grow in the field that she has chosen to make her profession. There are four stages to becoming a Master Sommelier, and Burke hopes to complete step one this June when she takes the Introductory Sommelier Course and test, in St. Louis, MO. Burke has been studying for the first step for months now, and often visits wineries and vineyards to get first hand experience and knowledge. She has also been reading many wine encyclopedias, and the popular Wine Bible.

“Many people think that training t

o become a Sommelier is fun and easy” says Burke. And while it does have it’s fun moments, like sampling all the wines, and visiting all the wineries, it is anything but easy, and is quickly turning into one of the biggest challenges of my professional career.

For more information on The Windjammer, visit their website at http://www.atlanticbeachpark.com/

or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WindjammerRI?fref=ts

For more information on becoming a Master Sommelier for yourself, visit their website at http://www.mastersommeliers.org/