Imagine having invited people over for dinner in one of the best fine diningrestaurants in your place. Imagine struggling over the wine menu. This can beembarrassing and this can ruin a good evening for you. A goodwine choice can mean a lot of difference to your food. Wineconnoisseurs know that there are wines that compliment certain kinds of foods.Basically, if you are served a chicken dish paired with a glass of white wine,you will certainly enjoy your meal more. Now, it is easy to remember whichwines go with what kind of food, you just have to know how to order wine in arestaurant.
Unraveling the Wine Ordering Mystery
Indeed, knowing how to order wine in a restaurant is an art. Knowing whichwine goes with what dish is a great skill. If you have seen a wine menu or awine list, you would know that ordering wine can be daunting especially if arestaurant offers a wide selection of wines. You can’t be blamed if you’d endup confused.
If you have no idea at all what to get, you should always seek assistance.It’s always better to admit ignorance then to commit mistake by pretending thatyou know what you are doing. Most restaurants offering haute cuisines havesommeliers to help out their customers. These are wine “experts” who would bewilling to help you if you don’t know how to order wine in a restaurant.
Choosing the Perfect Wines
A good wine menu has all kindsof information about every wine listed. You would find the name, manufacturer,country of origin, wine description, vintage and meal suggestions. If you haveguests, it is a good idea to get their wine preference. Courtesy dictates thatyou should let your guests choose their meal and wine combination. There arepeople who have particular taste for wines. Their choice may not suit aparticular dish but let them enjoy their wine and meal.
However, if you are asked to order the food and the wine, it is good to knowhow to order wine in a restaurant. Red and white wines are perfect for maincourses. When choosing a white wine or red wine, it is best to get a heavywhite wine or a light red wine. Now, if you are not familiar with how a wine’sname is pronounced, it is best to leave it to the sommelier. Do not attempt toguess its pronunciation or you could end up embarrassing yourself.
Learning how to order wine in a restaurant does not end with learning how tomatch wines with meals. You should also learn how to choose the right wine thatis within your budget. A good bottle of wine can cost you as much as $500 abottle.
Going Through the Wine Serving Process
Usually, before a wine is served, you will have to go through the wineapproval process. The sommelier will bring your wine to your table. If youdon’t know what to do with the wine, you would likely just stare at it and nodyour head. What you are expected to do, however, is to get the wine and checkit. You need to check the label and see if you are being served the right wine.You should also check its content. You also need to check if the cork isintact, so you would know if you are being served a properly stored wine.
The server will then give you a wine sample. Do not just drink it. What youshould do it to check the color of the wine. Vintage wine should look brown.This is the wine’s clarity. You should also check the smell and check for avinegar-like or a rusty-like smell. If your wine smells like vinegar or rust,you should request for another bottle. Chances are your wine has undergoneoxidation due to bad storage or cork problems. Now, if all these things areokay, you can then taste the wine. If the taste is up to your liking, you canthen give your approval. The server will then bring out the wine and the restof your meal. The whole wine approval process can take about half a minute ormore depending on you.
Ordering wine can be intimidating if you don’t know what to get. It is best,therefore, that you learn how to order wine in a restaurant. Once you havelearned this art, you will enjoy its benefits time and time again.
Pro Chef 360 – Created and maintained bythe culinary minded