Buying Wine in Restaurants

Buying Wines in Restaurants

by Chris Hambleton from Champagne Tuesdays

As if making a purchase in the supermarket wasn't tricky enough, we are also faced with the problem of ordering the right wine when we go out to dine.

There are lots of aids for the intrepid imbiber, from over-descriptive wine lists to the faintly sinister figure of the sommelier, lurking in a corner with a wine list longer than a dictionary. So here comes the first decision, do you A) order a bottle of Pinot Grigio because that's what you know you like, B) go for the house wine because it's the cheapest and must be OK or C) take an age perusing the wine list and trying to decide which of the unpronounceable offerings might make for a decent drink?

Choose your food first
The trick with ordering in a restaurant is to think about what you are having to eat first. The super-attentive staff will always ask if you would like a drink, don't just immediately order the wine, have a glass first or a beer or something, while you decide on your food.

Why bother?
Well it's about getting you some value for money. If you have ordered your favourite Australian oaked Chardonnay, then you decide on the Dover Sole, then your fish will end up tasting strongly of tropical fruits and Vanilla. Equally, if you decide to go for a nice, light Beaujolais and pair it with Beef Stroganoff, then you simply won't taste your wine. This is the problem with always going for the same wine as you drink at home, just because you know you like the wine. If you're just drinking, then fine, go for it, but if you're also eating you should really think about it a bit more.

Think about it
A well matched food and wine pairing will take your dining experience to another level. Plainly this takes time to learn, but you'll be surprised by how much you already know. Red wine with red meat, we all know that, white wine with fish and so on. You don't even have to match specific flavours to start with, just the weight of the dish and the vino. It's very simple, light foods, like poached fish, salads, veal, requires lighter style wines. Even the most basic of wine lists should have some indication of the wine's style, i.e 'light, dry and crisp' or 'rich and full-bodied'. If you're lucky you'll get a more detailed description. Think about what else you know about which flavours work well in food. Plum and cherry sauces work with duck, so go for wines that are described as having these flavours, like Merlots or Sangioveses or Riojas. Again, we all know that a squeeze of lemon with our fish is a good thing, so look for wines which have citrus fruit like Sauvignon Blanc or Semillons.

The dreaded tasting
Now, by far the most intimidating part of ordering wine in a restaurant is when you have gone out for a posh meal, ordered a posh bottle and you are asked to try the wine. Not wishing to appear overawed you accept the small helping, swirl it, sniff it and taste it, trying to look as professional as possible. Now I've met a lot of people who at this point tell me that they were thinking 'Hmm, not really very impressed, but I don't want to complain.'. How terribly, terribly British. It would be wrong to suggest that if you simply do not like the wine that you can send it back, however non-professionals have a hard time differentiating between not liking something and there being something wrong with it. If you've never had a Barolo before, how are you supposed to know what it should be like?

Follow your nose
Wine is made from and smells of fruit. Either fruit or fruit and other, pleasant aromas. If it smells like sarson's malt, or damp cardboard or rotten eggs, then there is something wrong with it.

The biggest mistake people make is actually tasting the stuff when it's off. If you ordered a steak and what arrived on your plate looked as if the chef had just retrieved it from the side of the A3 where it had been maturing in the sun for a few days, you would not put it in your mouth. However I have sat in front of people who have done exactly that with wine that stinks to high heaven. By putting it in your mouth, you also affect the flavour of other things, including your next bottle if you do summon up the courage to send it back.

All you need is your nostrils. It's our noses that do all of our flavour work for us, not our taste buds. You have four areas of taste on your tongue, sweet, sour, bitter and salt. There are no Orange tastebuds, or beef ones, or raspberry ones. All of our sense of true flavour comes from our Olafactory Bulb, which is in the top of our noses. This is the reason that you see us wine-buffs making funny slurping noises when tasting.

It is entirely possible, though unlikely, that the replacement bottle you are given is just as bad as the first, so go through the process of sniffing again to make sure. As I said, the description on the bottle, in the wine list, or from the waiting staff should tell you what to expect, if 'bouquet of citrus fruits' is not there, and instead you have 'stench of dirty football kit' then the wine is off.

Stand up for your rights!
Just as important for those of you who are out in a larger party is to make sure that each new bottle of wine is tried, before it is served. All too often you order another bottle of the same, everyone's glass is refilled and the wine is rubbish. I know it seems like a hassle and I know it's a little embarrassing, but why pay for shoddy goods?

A few months ago I was away with my extended family and my Uncle bought some really good burgundy. The first bottle was fabulous but the wine waiter simply went round with the second, filling up everyone's glasses and this one was a real stinker. Some of the party had hardly touched their first glass and now that was ruined as well. Sadly I was the last to be served with the second bottle (unsurprisingly my glass was empty) and it was immediately noticed and replaced.

Have faith and courage in your convictions, do not be frightened by Pierre the Somellier. If Pierre disagrees with you, that does not matter, you are the customer. If there really isn't anything wrong with it, Pierre will certainly find a good home for it.