Never Feel Stupid Again Buying Wine In A Restaurant
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Buying Wine.

When buying wine by the bottle in a restaurant, there are three steps to the procedure. They involve the bottle, the cork, and the taste. Wine ordering recommendations can come from either the wine steward or, more increasingly, from the server. The person who took your wine order will present you with the unopened bottle. If you are satisfied that it is the wine you ordered, the server will present you with the cork. If that passes muster, finalize your wine buying experience with a taste.

If the wine list puzzles you, ask the wine steward to recommend something that complements your entrees. Specify a price range if you want. It is far preferable to say "I want a wine that enhances these dishes and is in the $40 per bottle range," than to be intimidated into simply pointing at the wine list and ordering a $200 bottle.

Examine the bottle when the wine arrives. Make sure it is the wine you ordered. If not, confirm the order with your server and ask for the proper wine to be brought. If it is the correct wine, return the bottle to the server and ask for him to proceed. You just passed your first wine buying test.

The server will present you with the wine cork, and wait expectantly. Don't smell it. That wine buying stereotype seems to happen only in films. Most sources recommend that you either examine the cork for damage, or do nothing at all with it. If you notice the cork to be crumbling or in poor shape, politely point out your concern and ask for a well-corked bottle. You just passed the second wine buying test.

The steward will pour a small amount of wine for you to taste. Swirl it gently in the bottom of the glass and smell the aroma. If your wine order smells like wet cardboard, or other wet things such as dogs or socks, swirl it again and smell. If the smell goes away (or there was none), take a taste. If the wine tastes bad or contains lots of particles, express your concern and ask for a different bottle. Otherwise, politely ask the steward to pour wine for the rest of your party.

There is absolutely no excuse for a bad attitude from a wine steward or server when buying wines in a restaurant. They are employees there to serve you. Never be afraid to send a bottle of wine back. It may have been sitting for decades, and nobody knows how it tastes now until you taste it. You'd send a burned steak back immediately. Practice these simple rules about buying wine and your wine ordering experiences will be positive ones.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.