4 Tips for Ordering Wine in a Restaurant

Dining out should be an enjoyable, relaxing experience. That goes for ordering the wine, too. Today’s Q&A addresses that subject, and the tips should make for a stress-free culinary treat.

QUESTION: My wife and I are taking another couple out to dinner this Friday. We all like wine, but are just starting to learn about it. Can you give us any tips on how to order a good bottle without spending an arm and a leg?

ANSWER: Restaurants mark up wine prices for several reasons, including the storage space required, the need to occasionally replace broken glassware, and the expense of keeping an experienced sommelier or wine steward on staff.

A good wine list features a number of choices that match nicely with the various entrees on the restaurant’s menu, as well as a range of prices. The longer the list, the more daunting it can be for someone who is just getting into wine.

Here are four tips to help you make a selection that will delight your guests without giving you “wallet heartburn”…

1. Ask the sommelier, wine steward or server for advice. Someone on staff should be familiar with both the menu and the wine list, and know which wines pair nicely with which dishes. If your server doesn’t seem to be well informed, ask if there might be someone else who can help.

2. Tell the restaurant staffer about some of the wines you’ve enjoyed in the past (this will help them identify wine types and styles you’ll probably like), and also let them know about your price range.

3. If you’d prefer to bring along your own special bottle, be sure to call ahead to see if the restaurant allows wine to be brought in. If so, ask about the corkage fee, and make sure the wine is not on the restaurant’s wine list.

4. When all else fails, follow this guideline: Determine the type of wine you want to have, and then order the second least-expensive bottle from the restaurant’s list. Many restaurants include low-end bottlings in the various categories for those customers who read the list from right to left (i.e., price shoppers). We’ve found that, in most cases, all the other wines in a given category are quite good, so there’s no need to order the most expensive bottle.