Member Guidelines

Wherever the GuildSomm community congregates—including the GuildSomm forums and comments sections, social media, and both online and in-person events—members are expected to:

  • Behave in a manner consistent with the key values of the sommelier profession: integrity, humility, and hospitality.
  • Engage in civil, respectful, and productive dialogue.
  • Maintain an environment that preserves a sense of security for all members.
  • Refrain from directly criticizing any member’s opinion, workplace, or person.
  • Avoid profanity.
  • Follow all guidelines for conduct stated on the GuildSomm site and by GuildSomm employees.

Additional policies:

  • Posts in the discussion forums cannot be promotional in nature.
  • Member-submitted events must be relevant to working wine professionals.
  • Member-submitted events taking place in multiple locations must be shared through a single post.

In the event that a member does not follow these guidelines:

  • Any post or comment (on the website or GuildSomm social media channels) may be flagged or removed by the GuildSomm team without notice or explanation.
  • The GuildSomm team may flag a member for moderation. The member’s posts and comments will be moderated before appearing on the site until further notice.
  • A GuildSomm staff member may flag an individual’s membership for review by a GuildSomm board committee. This committee will consider whether the individual’s membership ought to be terminated.
  • A terminated member may apply for reinstatement through the GuildSomm board committee.