Sip, She Says

"There were no women CEOs of wineries, winemakers, marketing directors, few in wine sales. But in the last 10 years that's been completely reversed," says Karen MacNeil, author of "The Wine Bible" and host of the PBS series "Wine, Food and Friends With Karen MacNeil." "It's generational. And sommelier is just the last area that women are getting into."

Benchimol recently left her position at Rasika to move to Boca Raton, Fla., with her husband, chef Richard Brandenburg. She holds certifications from the New York-based Guild of Master Sommeliers and from London's Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

When Rasika's owner, Ashok Bajaj, hired Benchimol in December, he says, he was drawn to her "because she fits the profile of the restaurant: young and hip." To Bajaj, a sommelier's gender is irrelevant.

"When I moved here from London in 1989, all I saw were these men with silver cups around their necks, unapproachable and inaccessible," says Bajaj, whose six restaurants also include the Oval Room, the Bombay Club and 701. "But now it's fun. People know so much more about wine these days, and they like to talk about it."

Caterina Abbruzzetti, wine director of the Willard InterContinental hotel downtown and sommelier at both the posh Willard Room and the new, casual Cafe du Parc, has two advanced wine degrees. A London native, she attended a two-year viniculture school in California's Napa Valley. The way she sees it, the most important requirements for success by either men or women in the field are dedication and focus.

"What you need is a passion for wine: for the science, the history, the agriculture, for the winemakers," says Abbruzzetti, 38. "There is so much depth."

The increase in the number of female sommeliers has dovetailed with women's growing buying power in the market. Research by the Wine Market Council shows that women now account for 60 percent of high-end wine buyers, those who are more likely to buy bottles costing more than $15.

On a Saturday night at the elegant 2941 restaurant in Falls Church, sommelier Kathryn Morgan and her two assistants can barely keep up with customer wine requests. And with a 46-page list of more than 5,000 bottles (some priced higher than $1,000), there is plenty to choose from.

Wine service at 2941, under Morgan's direction, has drawn praise; she was recently nominated for an award by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington but lost to Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve.

A former cocktail waitress, Morgan, 39, got her first job as a sommelier at the Occidental in downtown Washington "with no formal training, no formal anything." She now holds the third-level advanced degree from the Court of Master Sommeliers. In March she retook the service section of the group's top-level master sommelier exam after having passed the theory and tasting sections. She fell short, and will try again.

Morgan chose a career in wine "after I caught the restaurant bug in college. I didn't want to be a server forever."

This night at 2941, she pops up from behind the bar for a quick consultation with one couple, then rushes off to confer at another table, where a couple from Ashburn is unhappy that the restaurant has run out of their favorite moscato.

As it turns out, they're less than thrilled with Morgan's suggestions and attitude.

"She lets you know that she knows more about wine than you do," says Sean Joyce, a financial adviser with Morgan Stanley. "When she spoke to my wife, there was this cattiness, and the claws came out."

Jonathan Krinn, chef and co-owner of 2941, says Morgan has proven abilities and is "super-organized and passionate." But he acknowledges that her tableside manner can strike some people as brusque.

"It's not easy to go up to a table and prove yourself, and it may be harder for a woman," he says. "People like to show off their knowledge of wine, and if that is taken as a challenge, there can be a sparring match."

For her part, Morgan later said that on that particular night she was simply "too busy, trying to do too much."

She said she is working on smiling more: "The problem is, I frown when I think."