It’s tempting to think restaurant wines are over-priced. But the profit in wine sales covers the many costs to the restaurant to store and serve wines. The restaurant is eager to sell you a wine you are happy with, that makes your meal wonderful.
Ordering off the menu
You want a wine that you know you will like with the foods you are going to order. Ask your tablemates what they like in wine and what they are ordering, then ask your wait staff or the restaurant’s sommelier for a recommendation. Don’t be shy, and don’t fear the worst. Winegirl and pal were in a very upscale restaurant in Las Vegas, with several $300 wines on the list. We asked the sommelier for help. He asked us our budget ($45 max) and what wine characteristics we liked, and he found us a perfect bottle for our meal and budget.
The Opening Inspection
The bottle is opened in front of you for several reasons:
- You get to look at the label and make sure that if they are charging you for the 2011, they are not serving you the 2020.
- You then get to see the condition of the cork. It should look wet where the wine was in contact and be firm and spongy. If it’s dry or moldy, be prepared for a wine that may taste bad.
- A small taste will be poured into your glass. Look at the color, swirl it a bit to give it some air, and take a taste. If you like it, accept it. If you’re not sure, ask someone else at your table to try it. You can even ask your pourer to try it. The wine should not taste moldy, vinegary or ‘corked’.
- If the restaurant made the recommendation, and you really don’t like the way the wine tastes, then ask if they can get you a bottle of something you would prefer. Try to articulate the flavor you don’t like so they can steer clear of that in their next recommendation.
How Much to Order?
One 750 ml bottle of wine contains about 4-5 glasses of wine. If you have a table of 2-4 persons, start with 1 bottle and order additional bottles as needed. If you have 5-8 persons, and you want everyone to have a glass of the same bottle of wine, order 2 bottles to start. You can always re-cork and take unfinished wine home.
What If You Bring Your Own Wine?
It is great to bring a special wine from outside that you want to enjoy, but be prepared to pay a corkage fee. The fee covers the costs of using the restaurant’s glassware, all the behind-the-scenes costs (washing, breakage, storage), and the waiter’s time opening and serving the wine, which makes this a fair trade. If your waitperson “forgets” the fee, make sure you cover it in the tip. Some restaurants will waive fees for wines from their local wine region, so ask. One word of advice: you know that we don’t care what you do, but if you bring a bottle of inexpensive store-bought wine into the restaurant for your meal, you may not save yourself much money after you pay the corkage fee. And you might get some odd looks. Just saying.
