Proper Etiquette for Ordering Wine

Brendan Walsh: Hi, I am Brendan Walsh and today we are discovering the wonderful world of wine. In this clip, I am going to discuss the proper etiquette for ordering wine in a restaurant. The primary purpose of ordering wine in restaurant is to ensure that you get a suitable pairing between your entree and the wine. Do not be afraid to ask the waiter or sommelier for advice. Just let them know the entree that you are having as well as your price range and they should be able to recommend a good selection. Once you have agree on a selection, the waiter will bring the wine out to you and present it in a manner such as this. As the host, it s your responsibility to verify that that is in fact the wine that you order not such the name of the wine, but also the vintage.

The same wine can be different prices depending on the vintage. Once the waiter shows you the wine and you agree that this is the wine you in fact selected. They will go ahead and uncork the wine and he shoots up the cork on the table. Now, don t go in smell the cork it is not going to give you any value, it is just going to smell like cork, but what you can do is look at the cork and deduce whether or not, the cork is tinted or the wine maybe tinted based on cork discoloration.

For example, I can see that the cork itself is a nice tan color and within the cork at the mouth of it, it s a deep red. That tells me two things, number one, the wine has been stored properly on it side, so that the wine rested against the cork which help prevent oxidation and number two, because it is tan and there is no discoloration here I know or I think I know that the wine is not spoiled or oxidized. So, it will just give you clues in to what to expect from the wine. Now, as the host the waiter is going to go ahead and pore a small amount of wine into your glass, your job as the host is to swirl, sniff the wine, and taste the wine, this is my favorite part. This is not an opportunity for you to send back a perfectly good bottle of wine that you just don t care for. The point of tasting the wine is just to ensure that it is not spoiled or it s corked. Once you tell the waiter that yes you accept the wine, the waiter will go clock wise around the table to your party and fill each person s glass, ladies first, as the host your glass will be topped off last.

Next, I am going to talk about primary differences between red and white wine.