The Restaurant Ritual: Ordering Wine

By Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach

Ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant is complete with traditions that perplex many wine drinkers. What happens after ordering the wine to accompany your dinner can also be confusing . . . I call this the tasting ritual.

Let's review the roles. The person ordering the wine is considered the "host" regardless of gender. The server will present the bottle and either point to the label or verbally announce the selection. This step is to ensure they are serving the correct wine and vintage requested. Pay particular attention to this step if you ordered a vintage that was exceptional. The vintages delivered to the restaurant often change without notice and the restaurant itself may not have noticed. You may want to look for an alternate choice if you had your heart set on a specific year.

Next, the server will open the wine and place the cork to the right of the host. This step sometimes confuses the customer. What do you do with the cork? Simply put: nothing. You can examine the end to ensure it is moist. Wines stored correctly on the side will have moist corks. The cork will not tell you if the wine is bad, so smelling it is not necessary. Many years ago there were fraud issues and the corks were presented to ensure it was the original cork. There's nothing like a Chateau Margaux refilled with table wine!

The server will then pour a small taste in the host's wine glass to allow the host to check for flaws. The wine should be at least smelled and can be tasted as well. They are looking for a nod or comment that it is fine. Glowing compliments are not necessary! Wine with natural corks can become infected or what we call “corked” which will smell like a musty basement or vinegar. Don't skip this step when you order a second bottle of the same wine (it is estimated that 1 in 12 bottles of corked wine are flawed). What if your wine comes with a screw cap? No problem and it does not mean the wine is inferior. Screw caps solve the problem of corked wines. Wines from $10 to $100 are using caps these days, so don’t panic!.

Once you have approved the wine, the server will fill the wine glasses in a clockwise manner, ladies first with the host being last.

Now that you know the basics, I hope the next time you order a bottle of wine at your favorite restaurant you can sit back and enjoy the ritual!

About Laurie Forster:
Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach® is a wine educator and author of The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine. Laurie’s specialty is creating unique corporate keynotes, team building events and group tasting seminars. For more information on Laurie’s speaking services visit www.thewinecoach.comor her book visit www.thesippingpoint.com

Wine Etiquette

This month we are talking about wine etiquette.


Toasting…. Here’s to you
You are at a business dinner; the host has asked the guests to join him in a toast to you….do you know what to do?

When a toast is made to you:
- Look at your host who is making the toast.
- When everyone stands and raises their glass…you do not touch your glass.
- Drinking a toast to yourself is like clapping for yourself.
- Just smile and acknowledge the host and the guests as they raise their glasses to you.

There will be an opportunity to return the toast to the host, at which time you would drink.

Knowing how to accept a toast is like knowing how to receive a business gift….it is one of the gracious aspects of your business savvy.


Stay tuned, soon we will talk about the etiquette of returning a toast.