A long wine list on the restaurant menu can be quite intimidating for the wine philistine, because he has no idea which wine goes with the food he has ordered. He may also know little about the procedure of ordering wine and doesn't want to look like a complete wine novice in front of his date. Here are some foolproof tips on how even the less knowledgeable wine connoisseur can have fun ordering their wine.

 

 

Simplify the selection. Let the waiter recommend a wine that is within your price range. Accept the waiter's choice in the knowledge that they probably know more about suitable wines than you do.

 

If you want to choose a nice-sounding wine from the menu yourself and can't pronounce the name, show the waiter the wine on the list. Just don't try to pronounce a French name you don't know, it's pretty embarrassing if you get it wrong!

 

When the wine is brought, check that it is the one you ordered, but please do so from memory! Just don't look at the menu with your finger and compare it with the label. You are only expected to look at the label. The name and year are the only things you should look at.

 

Many people feel compelled to smell the cork as soon as the waiter has uncorked the bottle. Don't worry about that, the important thing is that the cork is not mouldy or rotten.

 

Once you have ordered the wine, you will be poured a sip into your glass to taste it. You don't need to be a great wine connoisseur to know whether the wine is good or not. One look at the glass will tell you whether the liquid has the right consistency: the wine must be clear and must not have any particles floating around in it. Cloudy is bad. You are not expected to make a judgement when tasting. Instead, you should only determine whether the wine has not oxidised, i.e. whether it tastes of vinegar. If the wine doesn't taste good, tell the waiter and ask him to taste it if necessary. The waiter did not make the wine himself, so he is unlikely to take your judgement personally.

 

Finally, you only need to confirm to the waiter that the wine is fine. Especially if the waiter has recommended the wine, he will appreciate it if you thank him for his advice.