Not so long ago, the phrase “star sommelier” would have been considered an oxymoron in the English-speaking world. Wine waiting was not seen as a career for the ambitious. It was reserved for the kind of man (and it was almost always a man) who takes pleasure in making sarcastic remarks while quizzing timid customers about the contents of his big, leather-bound book of potential faux pas, or shaming them into spending more money than they want on something they’ve never heard of.

Such was the stereotype. Today things are rather different. Or at least, they are in the US, where leading sommeliers are treated with something of the reverence and respect afforded to chefs, with huge salaries, book deals and reality TV shows (Uncorked). As the chef Michael Mina puts it in the documentary Somm, these are “the new rock stars of the industry”.

DJ may be a better comparison. Obsessive about their subject, the new breed of sommeliers are selectors and tastemakers rather than creators: their talent lies in shaping the mood and lining up seamless matches of food to wine. And, like DJing, the world of wine waiting has become highly competitive, with its own arcane forms of professional recognition. The really plum jobs are reserved for those select few members of the Court of Master Sommeliers, who have to pass a fiendish three-part exam (wine knowledge, service and blind-tasting.) In almost 50 years, a mere 239 people have emerged from the process as members.

Although the body’s origins are British (it still has its head office in that bastion of old-style starchy fine-dining, Torquay), around two-thirds of current master sommeliers are American. No wonder when the potential rewards in the States are so big: the average master sommelier takes home around $150,000 a year, more than three times the average sommelier salary. But it’s not just about money. According to the New Yorker, Geoff Kruth has emerged as an “Anthony Bourdain of wine, propelling sommelier status, and feeding mainstream curiosity”.

We’re not quite at that point in the UK. There is no Jamie Oliver of wine, and for most sommeliers, pay is still poor (below the national average at £24,173 according to payscale.com), the hours long and antisocial. But there’s an increasing feeling of respect for the dedication and knowledge that the best sommeliers bring to the job – and influential stars are beginning to emerge. The daddy of them all is Gerard Basset, who co-founded Hotel du Vin and now runs his smaller scale wine-themed hotel, TerraVina, in the New Forest. According to Chris Losh, editor of Imbibe magazine, other names to look out for include Christine Parkinson, head of wine at Hakkasan; Laure Patry, executive head sommelier of Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social, and the 2016 UK sommelier of the year Terry Kandylis.

Then there’s the French master sommelier, and former Basset protege, Xavier Rousset who, Losh says, “is quietly building a restaurant empire” with his new London ventures Blandford Comptoir and the Burgundy-themed Cabotte. Previously the driving force behind the mini-chain of affordable London wine-bars 28-50 and the famously brilliant wine list at the Michelin-starred Texture, Rousset’s whole career shows just how far the wine waiter has come. Today, in some restaurants, it’s not only the chef who’s a star.

Six sommelier favourites

Yannick Amirault La Coudraye Bourgeuil, France 2015
(£15.95, leaandsandeman.co.uk)

Recently crowned UK sommelier of the year Mathias Camilleri shows his good taste with this delightful Loire red from a great vintage on his list at Chelsea’s Five Fields, a pure cabernet franc with an effortless silkiness of texture and leafy-red fruit.

Albert Bichot Pure Crémant de Bourgogne NV
(£19, oddbins.com)

Two of Britain’s best sommeliers, Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney (the latter now head of Burgundy-specialist importers Flint Wines), are behind new Burgundy-loving City restaurant Cabotte, where this classy all-chardonnay champagne-alike is a well-chosen bargain.

Binz & Bratt Riesling Gewürztraminer, Rheinhessen, Germany 2015
(£13.96, shop.vinoteca.co.uk)

Christine Parkinson presides over some of the most imaginative wine lists in the world at the various restaurants of the Hakkasan group, this pristine, subtly ginger-spicy and classically rose and lychee-scented German gewürz well-matched to the restaurants’ spicier offerings.

Percheron Old Vine Cinsault 2016
(£6.75, slurp.co.uk)

Xavier Rousset may have moved on, but, with Master Sommelier Clément Robert now in charge, the wine is in good hands at the excellent London mini-chain of modern wine bars 28-50, with this succulent, tangy light red, one of many bargains on the affordable list.

Catena Alta Historic Rows Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina 2014
(£18, thewinesociety.com)

The Sommelier’s Choice section of a wine list used to be a dumping ground for stock a restaurant struggled to shift; these days it’s likely a genuine showcase of favourite finds, such as this luminous, layered chardonnay picked out by Laure Patry and team at Pollen Street Social.

Franck Massard El Mago Garnacha, Terra Alta, Spain 2015
(£11.50, greatwesternwine.co.uk)

Former UK sommelier of the year Franck Massard is one of a number of top sommeliers who have gone on to make successful second careers as winemakers. One of several excellent reds he makes in various sites in Spain, this Catalan grenache is gloriously plump and juicy