Although streamlined, shopping for wine at a restaurant can be even more intimidating than at a store: sometimes the list can be esoteric, leaving you without the comfort of familiar favorites.
Also, on a wine list, you can’t study the labels for more information, and you’re usually considering how it will pair with your food (or everyone’s food). To make matters even worse, there’s the added pressure of making a quick decision. Here are some tips to ease the potential discomfort.
1. CHECK OUT THE LIST AHEAD OF TIME.
Many restaurants post their wine lists on their websites, providing an excellent opportunity to get familiar with pricing, how the list is arranged (usually by region, grape, style, and/or price), and to study the available options. Word to the wise: wine lists can change daily, so setting your heart on the perfect bottle can be dangerous, because it might not be there when you arrive. Most fine dining establishments will eagerly set aside the bottle(s) you desire ahead of time, if you call and speak to the manager.
2. ASK FOR A TASTE.
Any bottle that is available by the glass is already open (or will be soon). Most restaurants are more than happy to offer you a sneak preview before you commit to a glass.
3. STEER CLEAR OF “HOUSE WINE.”
Unless you’re in a quaint European village, where the wines of the house are traditionally decent quality, house wine is synonymous with “the absolute cheapest stuff we can get our hands on.” Yes, I did say earlier that wine quality is not solely dependent on price point (there are plenty of good and inexpensive wines out there), but most restaurants that offer a “house wine” look for a passable wine to sell at the lowest price possible, knowing that the customer who typically orders this category of wine values price over flavor.
4. BOTTLES AND HALF-BOTTLES OFFER MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.
With by-the-glass wines, most restaurants try to recoup the entire cost of the bottle on the first glass. Full-size bottles (750 ml) and half-bottles (375 ml), if available, are usually a better deal. I adore half-bottles because they allow you some variety during dinner—you can order a half-bottle of white and then a half-bottle of red, or two half-bottles of red, or even three. You get the picture.
5. PRACTICE POINTING.
If you’re on a hot date, ordering for a large group, or entertaining clients or business associates, it can be awkward to talk money at the table. But you can communicate your price range without uttering a number. Just hold the wine list up to the waiter and let him know you’d like a white or red wine like this (point to a price) and ask for his suggestion. Similarly, if you can’t pronounce a wine or a producer’s name, just point to it.
6. LEAN ON THE WINE GURU.
If you’re staring at a daunting leather-bound tome or an unfamiliar list of oddities, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Higher-end, wine-centric restaurants will often have a sommelier (som-el-YAY, the French word for wine steward) on staff. It’s a sommelier’s job to choose wines for the list and make recommendations to guests. Luckily, most sommeliers aren’t elitists; making you comfortable and happy is their top priority. You can ask for the sommelier, the resident wine expert, or the manager, or you can enlist your waiter for his thoughts on certain wines or his suggestions for pairings. I’d advise first just telling your waiter that you’d like some help with wine and would love to speak with someone who knows the list well. If the waiter perks up with pride and tells you he’s your man, he likely is. If he runs away to get someone more senior, he’s not, and you’ve just made things easy for him by taking the pressure off. Just like in the wine shop, anything you can communicate about wines you like is extremely helpful.
7. TAKE A POLL, BUT THEN TAKE CHARGE.
When you’re ordering bottles for a group, it’s always good to first ask: what does everyone like? Anything people can’t stand? If no one likes white wine, don’t order it. If they are merlot superfans, that’s probably your best bet. Don’t wait around forever for a consensus though; you want to make sure the wine arrives at the table well before your meal.
8. IN A PINCH, CHOOSE PINOT NOIR.
When you’re ordering bottles for a group and everyone is having different food, choose a highly versatile wine. Pinot noir’s silky texture and light tannin make it an extremely adaptable red that can go well with everything from fish to filet mignon.
9. ACKNOWLEDGE SERIOUS BUSINESS.
In addition to the preceding tips, if you’re out to dinner on business, it’s best to stick with a midpriced wine and also to defer to the top dog if there is one. You don’t want to look cheap or reckless, and you don’t want to steal any thunder if you can help it.
Written by Melanie Wagner in "Hello Wine - The Most Essential Things you Need to Know About Wine", Chronicle Books, San Francisco, USA, 2013, excerpts. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.