Ordering wine at a restaurant can be intimidating no matter how many times you’ve done it. We scan the menu and wonder if we should pick based on region, or go for one we’ve heard of or be adventurous and try something new. Sommeliers are sharing what they do when they go out to eat and since they’re literally trained wine experts, their insider info can only help us.
The wines sommeliers eliminate immediately:
- Wines from famous regions - Wine educator and sommelier Warner Boin skips wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy or Napa Valley at a restaurant, explaining, “Wines from renowned regions usually have a significantly higher markup.” You can get more bang for your buck by looking for wine from lesser known regions.
- Wines you can get cheaper at the grocery store - If sommelier Samantha Capaldi sees a glass of wine on the menu that she knows she can buy an entire bottle for the same price at the store, she’s not ordering it.
- Wines they don’t like - This seems like a no-brainer, but a lot of people haven’t figured out what they do like, so they don’t know what they don’t like. Being able to describe what you like can help a sommelier recommend a wine and being open to trying new wines can help you find more of what you like.
How to pick wine that’s actually worth the price:
- Once you eliminate some options, sommelier and wine educator Sarah Looper suggests considering the environment of the restaurant. If it’s a tapas restaurant, they probably have some great Spanish wines.
- Ask your server for recommendations. Sommelier Sara Jiminez says not asking the sommelier or server for a recommendation is the biggest wine-ordering mistake people make. So put their expertise to work for you.
- If you’re still not sure what to order, wine expert Karen MacNeil says to go for the second- or third-most expensive wine, noting, “It’s usually one of the sommelier’s favorites.”
Source: Huff Post
Photo: Getty Images