July, 2003
Some readers will remember when the typical restaurant offered three
choices in wine: red, white and rose. Some restaurants would put an
international spin on their offerings, calling them Burgundy, Chablis and rose,
even when those wines were not from France.
Today is a different story with restaurants emphasizing wine as a way to
increase customer traffic and profits. It’s not uncommon to see wine lists of
textbook proportions. But despite the advantage of providing more selection
options, such gargantuan wine lists also can confuse consumers. And
restaurant wine prices continue to escalate with very average wines frequently
commanding premium prices, especially when ordered by the glass.
This isn’t to say that all is lost on the restaurant wine front. Some
restaurateurs have introduced innovative wine programs and savvy diners can
regularly enjoy wine and food without obtaining a home equity loan if they do
some research. Here are some suggestions for making restaurant wine
enjoyment a little easier.
Look for Specials
The bad economy has been especially hard on restaurants with both
personal and business dining down. Weeknight traffic is very light in many
places. Some restaurants have implemented special food and wine
packages to boost mid-week traffic. Here in Denver there are restaurants that
offer fixed-price, four-course menus with different wines accompanying each
course at very reasonable prices. Another local restaurant reduces wine
prices during the week compared to the weekend. Similar offers are available
in other cities.
BYOW
Our favorite Thai restaurant in Chicago – Always Thai on Irving Park Road –
doesn’t have a liquor license. Inexpensive to start with, factor in the savings
from bringing my own bottle of Gewürztraminer or Riesling and you can’t go
wrong. They’ll even chill your alcohol in their fridge. Every city has its share of
restaurants that don’t have a license to sell liquor and many of these will allow
you to bring in your own.
Some restaurants will even let you bring your own when they do have a
license but will charge you a corkage fee. California law requires restaurants
to allow consumers to bring their own. Of course the restaurant deserves to
make a profit, so don’t fault them for a reasonable corkage fee of $10 or so.
There’s usually no reason for bringing a common bottle of wine to a
restaurant that sells wine. You can be assured they’ll probably have a couple
– or couple dozen – California chardonnays on the menu and wide selections
of cabernet, merlot, etc. Conversely, high-end restaurants won’t begrudge a
customer bringing a bottle if it has special meaning and is not available from
the menu. It’s a good idea to check ahead of time and be sure to share a
glass of your treasure with the owner or sommelier.
Many cities also have cooking schools with working restaurants that usually
don’t sell liquor. This is a great way to eat and drink cheap and support future
chefs as well.
Ask for Advice
Today’s chefs are creating dishes that combine ingredients and flavors in
unique ways. Factor in different people in the dining party with different menu
selections and it’s quite challenging to find just the right wine from a typical
list. Fortunately, most good restaurants will have someone on staff with
knowledge of both the food and the wine offerings to help with your selections.
Of course this person may not be your server. If he or she doesn’t seem quite
up the challenge, you can politely ask if there is a sommelier or wine steward
to help. You might find the chef is the best source for a recommendation
When you do ask for help, the more information you can provide, the better.
Let them know what type of wines you like and why, as well as what you plan
to eat. And there’s no shame in giving a specific price cap. Everyone has
budget constraints and they’ll work within yours. The right answer might be to
order by the glass so everyone gets something they’ll enjoy.
Another advantage of asking for advice is the chance to find out about wines
that aren’t on the menu. Many restaurants will have off-menu selections for
their regular customers or patrons who show wine interest. I’ve had servers
bring over samples of various wines once they learned I was interested. Give
the server some feedback — good or bad — on the wine. And if it’s corked,
oxidized or otherwise spoiled, send it back.
The Overflowing Glass
You’d think that once the wine is ordered, everything could then go smoothly.
But servers can still cause you problems by failing to properly chill your open
bottles or removing them from the table where you can’t easily get a refill. My
biggest peeve is the server who overfills the wine glass and then repeatedly
tops it off. Whether it’s inexperience or a plan to get you to order an additional
bottle, it’s an intrusion that prevents the diner from the visual, tactile and
aromatic pleasures of swirling the wine in the glass.
Tipping
I’ve heard many questions – and complaints – about tipping on wine. As a
general rule, tip on most wine service as you would for food service. If the
service was prompt and attentive then a generous tip is warranted. Poor wine
service justifies a lower tip, just as with poor food service. One exception that
is appropriate is scaling back the tip on extremely expensive wines of a
celebratory nature. I think a $20 tip is just as appropriate for a $200 bottle as it
is for one costing $100. And if the sommelier has been particularly helpful,
there’s nothing wrong with tipping directly for the wine portion of the bill. But
let your server know you’ve done so.
The Overall Experience
To me a great meal delivers delicious food and enjoyable wine in a pleasant
atmosphere with good service. When you find such a place, visit often. And
don’t forget to tell me the name.
Back to Wine, Food and Travel
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