The Wine Ritual and You

In most restaurants, the wine service ritual is as intimidating to the service staff as it is to the new wine consumer. Picture this scenario: You’ve ordered your bottle of wine. The server now presents you with the bottle.

What do you do?

First, make sure that the wine presented to you at the table is the same wine you ordered from the wine list and is the correct vintage. Now the fun begins. The server opens the wine and presents you with the cork.

What are you supposed to do with the cork?

Nothing! After thirty years of being in the wine and restaurant industry, I have no idea why we give the customer the cork. In the movies, the bon vivant used to sniff the cork and wave it around ceremoniously. That looks good on film, but why would anyone want to smell a wet winey cork?!

If you really want to find out whether a wine is good, all you have to do is pour it in your glass, swirl it, and smell it. It’s all in the smell!

The Magical Mystery Taste Test

Now you have to taste the wine. So many steps, so little time. While everyone at the dinner table is looking at you, the server pours the first taste of wine. At this point I urge my students to remember that the first taste of wine is always a shock to your taste buds. If you are unsure, take a second taste to confirm your first impression. If you really want to impress your guests, simply smell the wine and nod your approval.

When should you send wine back in a restaurant?

Whenever you feel there is something wrong with the wine. Most restaurants will not have a problem with people sending a bottle of wine back, even though most of them sent back will be in good shape. For those of you who have heard about servers who recommend a wine to a table and add, “If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it myself,” believe me, they do drink it, especially the good stuff!

What are the main reasons for sending wine back?

The first reason is that the wine is spoiled or oxidized. It has lost its fruit smell and taste, usually because of poor storage of the wine or the wine has passed its prime and should have been consumed earlier.

The second reason is that the wine is “corked.” It is estimated that 3 to 5 percent of all the world’s wines are corked, meaning that the cork that was used to seal the bottle was defective. You’ll know immediately if a wine is corked because the smell of the wine is not of fruit, but is more like a dank, wet cellar or moldy newspaper.

The above post appears in the 2009 edition of the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly, available in bookstores now. Look for the 25th anniversary edition in Fall of 2009. The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is the world's best-selling, most highly praised wine book.