Monday, May 11, 2009

Getting the most of your restaurant wine experience!


More great tips from Karen MacNeil.
RULES OF THE RESTAURANT
Here are four tips on how to order from a restaurant wine list:

1. Relax. Most people sit down and think they need to know immediately what to do about the wine. Buy yourself some time by first ordering a glass (or bottle!) of Champagne. It’s a classic, elegant way to begin, and it will give you time to mull over the wine list.

2. Ask for help. A wine steward’s job is to know about the restaurant’s wine list. It makes no sense not to take advantage of that expertise.

3. Be specific. Name a wine that you’d like to try and say how much you plan on spending. Example: “I would like to try a zinfandel, and I want to spend around $30. What do you suggest?”

4. Get excited about learning. Every so often, resolve to spend more than you’re used to on a bottle and just randomly choose something you don’t know. Ask your wine steward for information about your random selection. After a year of this, you’ll be over the fear of not knowing—and you’ll have learned a ton!

**MORE "Ask Karen" Tips & Notes here.

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