Experiment or Homework
Keep in mind that even the experts will not be familiar with every selection on a wine list. If you are a novice and your are going on an important date, you should do a little homework to get some idea of what you might want to order. Unless you are feeling extremely adventurous, a restaurant is usually not the place to try something new since the mark up can range from 100 to 200%.
The Wine List
Today, most restaurants have a wine list, but expect a myriad of shapes and sizes. Some establishments might simply offer just a house red or white, while others have a daily blackboard to outline their rotating selection. Most wine lists are presented as a printed menu, with the wines arranged by color; red, white, and rose and the region of country. Additionally, many establishments will number their wines on the list, which helps big-time if you do not know how to pronounce the wine. You can simply say, "I will have the number 8".
Before you order, you are going to want to factor in what you are going to be eating. Unfortunately, not a lot of menus give advice on food pairing. If you need some help talk to the wine steward, or sommelier. They are there to help you make the best decision for your occasion, and a good one will not try to take you out of your price range.
Getting the Best Wine for Your Money
Wine Making and Home Brewing: What s the deal?When it comes to making alcoholic beverages at home, wine making and home brewing is considered sort of a niche market. You either know how to do it or you don t! This is very hard to believe as wine making and home brewing has been going on for thousands of years. Just recently it was confirmed that wine making was invented in Cyprus rather than western Europe. As we still discover the facts about the history, what about the present? Why is wine making and home brewing such a taboo subject if you may? Is it because of the legal aspects involved with alcohol in general? Or it just sounds ..
• Skip the house wine. Unless you are familiar with the house wine, don't bother because they generally carry the highest mark up.
• Scan the wine list too quickly to get an idea on the average price of a bottle. Try to stay within this median price range where the mark ups tend to be average.
• Choose a wine from the same region as the restaurant's food specialty. A good French restaurant, for instance, should have a solid selection of French wines.
• Ask the server for a recommendation. Just ask if they have any special values currently.
• If two or more at your table are going to have a few glasses of wine, it is cheaper to order by the bottle than the glass.
A Guide To Wine RacksIt is a cliché that wines get better with age. How a wine ages will depend on how the wine is stored. Wine racks are a simple way to store unopened wines for the short-term.
Never put the wine rack on top of the refrigerator. All wines should be stored someplace cool. Find a spot in your house that stays about the same cool temperature year-round. The basement, so long as it is consistently cool, makes a nice place to store your wines. You could also put the wine rack in an interior closet. These storage places are not glamorous, but they keep the wineÂ’s taste. Also make sure the wine will no ..
Corkage
Many restaurants will open and serve a bottle of wine brought by the patron. A quick call to the restaurant will confirm if this is possible, and if so, they will charge a corkage fee. They usually charge between $5 and $15 per bottle, although some restaurants will charge a lower fee if the wine brought is not on their wine list.
About the Author
Contributor: Stuart Glasure, A wine enthusiast and publishing member of the Wine Learning Center at http://www.WineDefinitions.com. Stuart GlasureOrdering Wine in a Restaurant
