Practical Wine Talk

Chapter 63 - Wine Service

I believe that wine service in a restaurant is the single greatest deterrent to the enjoyment of wine with a meal in the United States. Most people are just not comfortable in doing what is second nature in Europe. The ritual is actually quite simple and all geared to allow you, the customer, to understand and confirm what you are being served in the restaurant and that it is, in fact, a sound product. How often does a chef walk out of the kitchen leading a cow from which he plans to cut a steak for your dinner, or how often does he bring out the raw steak for your approval? So, with this wine ritual, you're getting the real deal.

Most people will order wine in a restaurant according to the kind of food they plan to eat and this is what I do, as a rule. For most of us, in a restaurant the server will be the one who will take care of the ordering and the service of the wine. In some finer restaurants you will find a separate person, a Sommelier, whose duty it is to serve the wine and that man usually has distinctive attire and usually has a tastevin around his neck from which he may taste and approve of your wine for you.

A Tastevin – Usually made of metal or silver-plated, this device is usually hanging around the neck by a ribbon or a sash. It has a decorative handle and a saucer-like bowl that has several dents or bossellations designed to catch ambient light.

When you receive the wine list and have decided on your food, try to find a wine that goes well with your meal and is reasonably priced. A part of the tip the server or the Sommelier receives from you is for rendering advice on the wine you have chosen. He will have, undoubtedly, tasted the wine himself and can also recommend food that pairs with it. You can either ask his advice, or make that decision yourself. When you announce to the server which wine you would like to have, the server should disappear and return with an intact bottle of that particular wine. He will present the wine to you by holding the bottle in such a manner that you're able to easily read the label. It is up to you to read the label and ascertain that it is, in fact, the wine that you ordered. If you order the 1995 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, then the label should say so. So, here you have the first example of the ritual being to your benefit because you have a chance to confirm your choice before they even open the bottle. The server, either by accident or by nefarious design, could bring you a bottle of 1998 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon or he could bring you Non-Vintage Robert Mondavi Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon that sells for half what the Reserve brings. It’s up to you to catch that error! Remember, you are always the boss here, and if it isn’t right, make the server make it right.

After you have approved the wine, the server, in your presence, will score and remove the capsule and then extract the cork. Once extracted, he will take the cork off the cork puller and will set the cork on the table just above and to the right of your plate at the one o'clock position. The reason for this is to allow you to examine the cork to confirm that the wine was properly stored. This part of the ritual is the one that really makes a lot of people nervous and it really should not. There are three things that you can or might want to do with that cork that is just for your benefit. The first thing is to feel the cork and see if the end of the cork is wet. If the end of the cork is wet that tells you that the wine has been stored properly on its side. The second thing you should determine is whether the cork is resilient. If the cork is stale, hard or crumbly (that can allow air to enter the bottle and oxidize the wine), it may indicate that the wine has not been stored properly. If the cork has some "bounce" or seems resilient then this tells you that the cork and the wine have been properly cared for. The third thing you should do is smell the cork. Again, don't be intimidated by this, it's merely your opportunity to see if it smells like wine and doesn't have any foul odors.

Next, the server will pour a small (1 ounce) sample of wine in your glass for you to approve. If it tastes satisfactory, nod to the waiter and he will pour all the guests around the table, counterclockwise from the host: first the women, then, around the table again pouring the men, and finally the host. When glasses are empty, the server will ask the host about another bottle and if granted, will obtain another bottle and the approval process will be repeated, generally just with the host approving subsequent bottles, but the pouring protocol remains the same, women first, men second, and the host last. Remember that if the host happens to be a woman, she is still poured last.

The aforementioned protocol is generally just for formal parties, but it should be observed anytime you order wine in a restaurant. That's all there is to it! So relax. Don't worry about ritual! Go out and order a bottle of wine and enjoy yourself.

By the way what is the second biggest reason that people don’t order wine in a restaurant? The outrageous markups that some restaurants charge for wine. In my opinion, except for exceptional wines, the wine shouldn’t cost more than the food.