Buying Wine in Restaurants

winesOrdering a bottle of wine at a restaurant can be confusing and even daunting. Many times, what little information available is incomplete or even wrong. To make matters worse, not many restaurants have a wait staff that is knowledgeable about the wines in question, leaving them to be of little help. So what are you to do in a situation like this? Take on the selection process with some of these following tips in mind, which is what you should do.

1 – First and foremost, you should not be fooled into the belief that the most expensive of all the bottles on the list is going to be the best or most worthwhile wine on the list. Many restaurants charge as much as twice the going rate for the wine that they offer by the bottle, so that $15 Chardonnay that you really love could be costing you $30 per bottle if you are not careful.

2 – Second, you should never allow yourself to become intimidated when it comes to buying wine in restaurants. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions if you need to. If the wine list doesn’t indicate the name, the vintage and the grape variety or other pertinent information, don’t be afraid to ask for more information before you choose a bottle.

3 – Third, do not be afraid to stick with what you know, or what you feel comfortable with. You need to know how reasonable the pricing is, so try to recognize some of the wines in the list and compare them to what you remember paying when you bought a bottle from a wine store to get a good idea about the markup on wine in restaurants.

4 – Fourth, if you plan on bringing in your own bottle, make sure that you call ahead of time to ask for permission or to find out what the regulations are for the restaurant so that you do not step on any toes.

5 – Fifth, when you are ordering your wine by the class, check to find out what the bottle costs and do the math to make sure that you are buying your wine in the most cost effective manner.

6 – If it appears to be too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true at all. If something on the menu seems out of place because it’s marked down significantly, it may actually be a ploy for the sommelier to suggest other wines that are similar in style but much more significant in terms of price.

7 – Finally, know that not every sommelier or restaurateur is dishonest. Dishonest sommeliers are actually the exception, and most are honest because they are passionate about what they do, and they genuinely want you to have a good wine experience.

Photo credits: jenny downing

Originally posted 2009-11-21 03:21:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • winecorksCollecting Wine Bottle Corks Most people are familiar with collecting wine, and even collecting wine bottles, but one of the types of collections that some people are unaware of is collecting wine bottle corks. Wine bottle corks are often just as unique as the bottles that they are sealing, and people that consider them......
  • winecellarImportance of a Wine Cellar Collection People that collect wine in order to age it, rather than to just drink it, should look into creating a wine cellar collection. The purpose of such a wine cellar collection is to protect the wine in the right temperature, humidity and atmosphere in order to keep the wine aging......
  • winestorageProper Wine Collection Storage Regardless of whether you are just beginning your wine collection or if you have been collecting and building your wine collection for many years, the goal when it comes to collecting wine is to keep them in perfect drinking condition. The whole idea of keeping these bottles around is so......
  • blog traffic exchangePez Candy Dispenser Collection Guides Here we have the main guides to PEZ dispensers. Having some history and some references on hand is definitely a good idea when shopping online for PEZ related goods. Or perhaps you have already got a sizeable PEX dispenser collection and now you are trying to figure out what all......
  • winelabelKeeping a Wine Label Journal If you are passionate about collecting wines and trying different wines, then it would be beneficial for you to keep a wine label journal. Wine tasting is really all about the journey, and this is a journey that is most certainly filled with a variety of different experiences. Just like......
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • Crowning Achievement3 of the Best Places Buy Coin Collectibles When people first enter into the world of coin collecting there can be a lot of information to sort through. The first thing to decide is what type of coin to collect and the type of investment willing to be  made into a coin collection. No matter what type of......
  • eastindiancompGuidelines to Use to Buy Collectable Coins When people first enter into the world of coin collecting and start looking to buy collectable coins it can be quite overwhelming. Buying collectable coins can be simplified by following a few easy guidelines. These guidelines will help to ensure that the coin purchases you are making are from reputable......
  • coincollectionDocumenting Your Coin Collection A coin collection can be an important part of your life, taking up much of your budget and your time throughout the years. Those who put time, energy, money, and heart into their collections should be doing everything that they can for their collection. Many fail to realize that one......
  • playmoneyCoin Collecting and Your Kids Hobbies can be one of the best things to get your kids into, as there are plenty of different values that can be taken from hobbies like coin collecting and stamp collecting. Coin collecting can be an important tool for giving your children extra education beyond the classroom, but can......
  • goldcoinsStarting a Gold Coin Collection There are a number of different ways that you can buy gold, not only as jewelry or gold bars but also in the form of a gold coin collection as well. Buying into a gold coin collection is a much better option, it is also much simpler and it can......
Online Stores Online Stores

Email Updates

1920s antiques barbie dolls best places bottle of wine certificate of authenticity chardonnay Collectible Bottles Collectibles collections country of origin craftsmanship Decorative Arts Decorative Collectibles different kinds ebay Figurines flea market flea markets garage sales glass collectibles limited editions love mint condition money older models online auctions personal collection popular items popularity porcelain private collections red wines rugs sentimental value shape special editions time period varietals vogue white wines wine bottles wine cellar wine collection wines