How to Taste Wine at a Restaurant

You don't have to be an expert to ensure you get a good bottle.

Once you have decided on a wine at a restaurant the server will bring the bottle and present it to you. You should know what to look for when the server presents the bottle to ensure that the wine is the correct selection and in good condition.

Instructions

1. Make a mental note of the wine that you order to go with your meal; you will need this information later to verify the wine is correct.

2. Examine the label when the server presents it to you. Make sure that it is the brand, vintage and variety that you ordered. It is easy for someone in the restaurant to grab the wrong vintage or label, so don't take this step for granted. If the bottle is not the one you ordered, send it back to be replaced with the proper one.

3. Examine the cork when ti is presented to you; you do not need to smell the cork. Make sure that the cork isn't mushy or moldy. The cork should be dry on one side and wine-stained and damp on the other. If both sides are dry, the wine may have been stored upright; if both ends are wet, the wine was probably leaking or the cork is faulty. Refuse the bottle if the cork is unacceptable.

4. Nose the small sample of the wine that the waiter pours in your glass. You don't have to be a wine expert; just swirl the wine gently and then sniff it for aromas of vinegar, sulfur or other unpleasant smells. If you think the bottle is off but you're not sure, ask the waiter or sommelier to nose the wine. If the bottle is bad, send it back.

5. Taste the wine to check its quality, using the same criteria you did when you nosed it.

6. Signal your server to serve the rest of the table once you have determined that the wine is acceptable.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask the waiter for a recommendation if you don't know what wine to choose with your meal.

• If you get a second bottle of the same wine that is also bad, make another selection.

• If the bottle is good but you just don't like the wine, ask your server to see what can be done; you can't send it back just because you don't like it.