Often, when people learn that we’re professionals in the wine industry, we’ll be put through a gruelling series of questions ranging from ‘is such and such a wine good?’ to ‘what would you recommend for a beginner?’
As one would imagine, ordering a right bottle of wine at a fine restaurant can be extremely intimidating, especially so for a novice. So, in this article, we’re offering a first hand view on some of the pitfalls (and the
embarrassment) to avoid.
So What’s Your Poison?
An expensive bottle of wine may not always be the best solution or even the most suitable wine for your meal. The wine steward (or the sommelier) is the key to a successful negotiation of an overwhelming wine list. Most fine
dining restaurants have a sommelier or at least one key person tasked to be the ‘know-it-all for wines’.
Do not be afraid to openly ask him for guidance. A knowledgeable sommelier will be more than happy to help you choose a wine that matches your taste (or more importantly, your budget). He will usually suggest wines that go
particularly well with the food that you or your guests have chosen.
The first time we consulted a sommelier, his suggestions came as a surprise as they departed from the ‘traditional’ ‘reds for red meat, whites for white meat’ rule. But the expert proved these sceptics wrong — we were delighted
by the way the right wine (in what we initially thought was the wrong colour) could bring out the array of flavours in the dish I ordered.
To Decant or Not to Decant?
Once the wines are chosen, the sommelier will bring the bottle to you to check the label to ensure that it is the exact wine ordered. When is decanting required? Generally, older red wines with sediment in the bottle should be
decanted (decanting also allows the wine to come in contact with more air and also filters out the sediment that can leave a sandy taste in your mouth). If you do not wish to fret over this issue, leave it to the sommelier to make
the call whether or not to decant.
After the wine is opened, the cork will be given to the host who should feel the cork to check for moistness. This is one method of determining whether the wine was stored properly. If a cork is too dry or damaged, this
indicates that air may have been let into the bottle and the wine may be damaged. The host should also smell the cork to check that there is no unpleasant odour (a hint of vinegar will suggest that the wine has turned bad), or
hints of an unusually strong cork smell.
The host is then offered the first taste of the wine. Do not make the mistake of taking a big gulp of the wine. Simply take a sip before indicating your approval or disapproval. Experience has taught us that there is a
difference between something being wrong with a wine and a wine not meeting my expectations. Although it is not right to refuse a wine in the latter case, it is perfectly acceptable to send back a bottle that has gone bad.
Upon the host’s indication of his approval of the wine, the wine should be served to all the guests before the hosts are served.
Although wineglasses should be kept filled throughout the meal, the wines are never poured to the brim but are only served half-full. A general rule-of-thumb would be to pour until the wine reaches just below the widest part of
the wineglass (dependent on type of glass used). This especially applies when using fine crystal wineglasses from wineglass specialists such as Riedel and Spiegelau.
Wine Tasting — to Drink or Not to Drink?
Wine tasting basically involves the use of our senses — sight (colour and clarity of wine), smell (aromas or bouquet of the wine), taste (flavours released in the mouth) and feel (weight of the wine on the palate).
After the wine coats the taster’s tongue, it is spat out. In a social dining setting, you probably don’t want to do that. The wines should be tasted only the first time round — more as an affirmation that you like the wine
you’ve chosen (or been recommended) — then, drunk and enjoyed as all wines should be!
Lynette Lim & Kelvin Tan