A Beginner’s Guide To Ordering Wine
Dinner out with my wife or friends is often a good time, but there is one thing often found when ordering that presents a few difficulties - the leather bound wine list. In it you”ll find anywhere from 20 to 40 different types of wines from all over the world with price tags as varied as the countries that comprise the list.
If you’re like me, your wine knowledge consists of there’s red wine and then there’s white wine. That’s it, right?
So how do you go about ordering wine for your table without looking foolish?
How To Order
To begin, remember that there should be a trained wait staff or perhaps even a Sommelier who is there to help and not hinder. Most restaurants that offer decent wine lists will also provide decent training for their servers.
Ask which wines are their best sellers, which wine partners well with what you’re thinking of ordering, and of course which wines fall within your price range.
A well-written wine list will include the wine’s producer and country of origin, the vintage, specific varietal tasting notes and offer suggestions for ideal food pairings.
If you’re stepping up to order for the table, get a feel for everyone’s wine preference – white or red, sweet or dry and what types of food will be ordered during the meal. If there are mixed votes among the group, consider a palatable compromise – a heavier white, like an oak-filled Chardonnay or a lighter red, like a Pinot Noir or a light-bodied Merlot.
Depending on your group, you could order several different types. Keep in mind that a typical bottle of wine (750 ml) should serve 3 people drinking in moderation.
On a side note, if you’re unsure of the wine’s pronunciation and don’t want to take a linguistic leap of faith, refer to the bin number if available or point to the selection and have the server do the honors.
The Wine’s Arrival
Okay, the order has been placed and the bottle is on it’s way, now what?
The server should show you the unopened wine’s label so you can verify that the wine is in fact the wine you ordered. Check the wine’s vintage and the producer. After the wine checks out, the server will open the bottle and present you with the cork. Not every restaurant does this but most will. No need to smell the cork like Hollywood advocates, but you do need to take a look at the end of the cork to make sure it hasn’t crumbled (which would be an indication that the wine’s been stored improperly) and see that the cork is not dried out or cracked throughout.
Next, the server will pour a small sample for you to taste. Begin by observing the wine’s color and clarity. Is it brownish in color or cloudy? Only very old vintages should have this appearance.
Now give the wine a good sniff. Do you smell any vinegar (a sign of oxidation) or musty cork (a sign of a faulty cork) smells?
Next, taste the sample. Is it in good condition? Free of any oxidation or corked flavors? If so, inform your server that the bottle’s a keeper and they will pour the selection for the table. Quick tip: this process from label check to tasting check should only take about 30 seconds.
Enjoying a great wine can bring a whole new dimension to your dining experience, and ordering the wine should be just as enjoyable as drinking it. By following these tips the next time you hold the leather bound list, you’ll be well beyond the person who orders a box of the restaurants finest boxed wine.
Photo courtesy TheBusyBrain
Corey is the editor of Simple Marriage as well as a licensed marriage & family therapist. While he has a Ph.D. in Family Therapy, he only occasionally likes to be called doctor. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe so you don't miss any future posts.4 Responses to “A Beginner’s Guide To Ordering Wine”
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Boy i have been looking at my google reader and going through all my wine articles then I spent two hours looking at a private club’s wine list just so I can let them know how to improve their list.
In regards to wine, please don’t make the subject harder than it should be. Wine will taste better with friends and food. with everyone pulling back buying wine by the glass might be the way to go when you dine with your spouse. There are some great apps on the i-phone that will pair your wine with food. here is a good article I found in my reader today.
How to order wine like an expert from the Chicago Tribune.
A wine taster samples a glass of the 2008 vintage of Chateau Mouton-Rotschild in Pauillac, France. (Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images)
OK, so you don’t know a box wine from a baby brunello and that big dinner with colleagues/clients/current object of obsession is just a day away. You want to be dining and wining but will likely be dining and whining … especially if all you can say to the waiter is, “Got any wine coolers?”
You could sign up for Wine Appreciation 101, but frankly, who has the time? Enter Chicago Tribune wine critic Bill Daley for his cheat sheet on pro-style ordering. Follow his script, look like you know your way around a pinot. And whatever you do, don’t be afraid to fake it.
How to pull it off
Order a “weird” grape variety. For example, Daley says, the pros love dry riesling, but most people won’t go near it. Too sweet, they fear. Yet they drink fruity cocktails. Go figure. Of course, you need to have an idea about how that “weird” wine tastes with food beforehand. A great simple-to-use Web site for food and wine pairings is Nat Decants (natdecants.com) by wine writer Natalie MacLean. Type in the wine (“riesling”) and you get a briefing on how the wine tastes and what foods she recommends (Thai dishes, California-style pizza, for example). Another click and you’ll have specific wine bottles you can ask for when ordering. (Don’t worry if the restaurant is out; ask for something similar in flavor — and price.)
Spend a little. Never order the two cheapest wines on the list. Savvy wine drinkers know that the second-lowest-priced bottle is generally the highest markup. To hedge your bets, steer clear of the bargain basement and choose from the midpriced selections.
Hold the glass of wine up to the light before accepting the bottle. Study it, frown, say “hmmmm.” No “amateur” looks at what they’re drinking, Daley says. Or, if you want to be less show-offy, hold the glass out at an angle over a white plate or tablecloth. Replicate the above expression. All this has a serious side — a brownish tinge means the wine is too old.
Smell the wine. Seriously. Give the glass a little spin so the wine swirls up the side of the glass, then stick your nose in and breathe deeply. Actually, this (like the light test above) is a serious component to evaluating a wine. A good aroma gives you pleasure while offering an indication of how the wine will taste. But if you don’t really know what you’re smelling, it’s the gesture that counts.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Guess that’s why I don’t do much wine drinking, too complicated for a simple guy like me.
I let the hub pick out the wine. He knows more about it than I do and it gives him a chance to look suave. He also knows I don’t know a 100 dollar bottle of wine from Boone’s Farm, so he can never lose!
You really do need to know what you are doing when it comes to wine. It is the same with Cuban Cigar If you don’t know what you are smelling then how do you know what you are drinking/smoking? it is something you learn and it is worth knowing.