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| Initial Wine Bottle Presentation |
With the coming of the holidays and invitations to friends or families, party's or dinner events I thought this would be a good time to review or maybe even in some cases, educate you, my readers on the subject of wine service etiquette. Today we are going to discuss wine service etiquette and what is entailed when we are either pouring wine for someone or having wine poured for us at any upper class restaurant or fancy party. Even if it is just for your knowledge I think it is a process that all serious wine lovers should be familiar with. With that in mind lets move into the article.
The whole process of proper wine service actually begins with the ordering of the wine and moves along into the serving of the wine by a Waiter or yourself. The proper presentation of the wine initiates with the bottle being brought to you by the waiter or the host of the event and goes all the way thru the Dinner and doesn't end until the bottle, or bottles of wine are finally empty. Aside from proper presentation of the wine bottle itself, wine etiquette also entails the proper pouring amounts of the wine in the glassware. With all this in mind lets enter the world of wine service etiquette. Throughout this article I would like you to place yourself in the Waiters position when it is appropriate. Let's begin with the "presentation" aspect of the wine bottle and follow thru to "the pour" and then to "your responsibility's" as the Dinner host or the person at the table who has taken the responsibility of ordering the wine. The presentation of the wine bottle is when your guests get their first opportunity to see the wine you have chosen to share with them and as such it also holds with it the power of showing your knowledge of wine. It is also your opportunity for your knowledge to shine in your attempt to impress the guest at your table with your proficiency in choosing a good wine. The presentation itself is the equivalent of first seeing the food a restaurant has prepared for you. It is sort of like ordering a Filet Mignon. You have had Filet Mignon before but the way the restaurant presents (presentation) it is going to assist and play an important function in determining exactly how your experience with the restaurant and the food is going to be, it is a starting point. If you compare the presentation of the bottle as well as the wine to the presentation of the food on your plate delivered by the Waiter then you can get a little better understanding of the importance of the presentation. Lets now go step by step and break down the entire presentation process.
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| Corkscrew / Foil Cutter Combo |
The Presentation: - The term "presentation is defined as "the proffering or giving of something to someone, especially as part of a formal ceremony". It is the Waiters, or hosts job to do the wine presentation. The person ordering the wine is the person the Waiter presents the wine to. If the Lady ordered the wine then the wine is presented to the Lady. The same applies if the Gentleman orders. By the way it is considered insulting if the lady orders the wine and it is presented to the Gentleman. The bottle should be wrapped in a clean, white linen napkin in order to ensure the wine is not warmed by the Waiters hand. The Waiter should also have brought a separate, clean, White, linen to ensure no drips pour down the side thereby dirtying the bottle or label. Along with this Linen he should of course have a Corkscrew as well as a Foil Knife in order to open the bottle of wine. Now what? O.k, so you have decided that a 2009 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon fits the bill for your particular dinner situation. Your first responsibility to your party or guests, which is to pick an appropriate wine for your party has just been finished. The waiter has his next responsibility (with the first being getting the order correct) he must ensure that all glassware brought to the table is clean and polished and ready to actually be presented. This by the way should have been done BEFORE leaving the bar or Kitchen area by the Waiter, not after the glassware has been presented at the table. The Waiter should also ensure that the bottle of wine he took out of the rack is the actual wine you ordered. Once again this is BEFORE the bottle arrives at your table. Your second job is now coming into play here. You, yourself should also ensure that the proper glasses are provided for your guests. If you are having a Red wine then there should be Red wine glasses. If it is a Champagne being poured there should be Champagne glasses on the table. If the glasses are inappropriate then it is up to you to say something to the Waiter. Now, here comes your third job. You must now also ensure that the bottle that is presented to the table is the wine you ordered. You must now ensure that the bottle including the label is clean and free from stains and not soiled. That means that when the wine is shown to you it should be shown with the label facing you, which is the Waiters way of saying "I did my part, now it's your turn, please double check". If after your inspection the Waiter has brought the wrong wine you should send it back. If the wine is correct but the bottle is dirty or soiled you should also send it back as well. A soiled or dirty bottle might indicate that the wine was not cellard properly and that the wine could be spoiled. Would you want to drink from a water bottle or soda can that looks as if it was laying around the bottom of an old cooler? How about if you were paying a hefty price for it? In this situation you are the Ambassador between you and your guests. We want to treat and ensure the wine we serve and for which we pay for has been treated with care and respect, it is after all, food is it not? It is also my contention that when we feed people at our homes we are performing for them the same function as the restaurant and the Waiter. The other item you must notice is if the wine presented is indeed the 2009 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon? You ordered a specific wine for a reason, right? O.K the glassware appears clean and the wine is the appropriate wine and the condition of the bottle is satisfactory. If you and the Waiter have performed your jobs correctly the Waiter may now begin the pour.
The Pour - The Waiter should now pour an ounce of wine into your (if you did the ordering) glass. If pouring Champagne it should be poured slowly down the side of the glass. You should now visually inspect the wine in your glass looking for any foreign objects or color that does not look correct. If everything appears well you should swirl the wine for the appropriate amount of time to release the Bouquet. You now should smell the wine. Once this is done it is now time to sip the wine and if the wine tastes like it should you will inform the Waiter that he may continue the pour. The correct process of pouring the wine is up for debate. One common method (the first we will mention) could actually have a big drawback, see if you can guess what that is. After your inspection the Waiter will move to the Oldest Lady at the table and pour for her first. He will then follow up with the other Ladies according to age. Then he will follow with the men at the table, also according to age and finish last with the person who ordered the wine. The other method, and the one I prefer goes like this. The Waiter simply goes clockwise around the table ending at the person who ordered the wine. The wine is poured with one hand on the Neck of the bottle and the other on the Base with the Thumb in the "Punt" of the bottle. The big dimple at the bottom of the bottle is called the Punt. When removing the foil there should only be two cuts of the foil made and all while the label is still facing the person who ordered the wine. The foil should be placed in the Waiters Apron or pocket, it should never be placed on the tablecloth as this is considered rude. The Waiter should ensure that each pour fills the glass no more than half way. If the wine is a White wine than the Waiter should ask if you want the wine left on the table. If you do then he should ensure that there is a Wine Bucket on the table filled with ice to maintain the temperature of the wine. A Red wine can simply be kept on the table.
Your Responsibility - This will basically be a review of what we have already covered but it is important and therefore should be repeated. Know the tastes of your guests. This can help in the decision you make in choosing the wine you do. If you want to go deep into wine culture or tradition you can even do the Red with meat, White with fish thing, although I, myself don't subscribe to that. Is the correct glassware present and clean prior to the pour? Is the bottle presented the wine you actually ordered? Is the wine free of foreign matter and is it the appropriate color? Does the Bouquet of the wine seem correct? Does it taste correct? Is this what The 2009 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon should taste like?
Summary - The Waiter has a job he gets paid for. I believe that depending where you eat, ( is there a Sport Coat or Suit and Tie required? Is it a formal or informal dinner?) will determine whether you should, or should not expect a professional wine presentation. If you simply have some friends over for dinner there probably is no need to go through all this unless you want to impress them with your wine knowledge. If there is a business dinner you are headed to and the restaurant has prices that are out of this world I believe the proper wine presentation is something you SHOULD expect and demand. I also think that from the Waiters position all the way up to the restaurant Manager should be pulled on the carpet (so to speak) if he should treat your table and the wine presentation as if it doesn't matter. The Waiter is always the Ombudsman between the kitchen and you, the guest. Nothing should find it's way to your table without going through him, he is responsible for dirty or incorrect glassware. He is responsible for cold food that reaches your table. He is responsible to you if the wine is incorrect. Just as he is responsible for these things, you are responsible for the wine reaching your guests incorrectly, you are their Ombudsman.
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| Proper Service |
I hope everyone has enjoyed this article. For some reason it has been the hardest article I have written to date. I hope that you have the chance soon to either put what we have discussed into practice or watch it transpire in person. Wherever you go this holiday season I hope you enjoy yourself and are safe. Here is a big question that I will leave up to you to decide. When you have an invite to a function we all know (I hope) that you never show up empty handed. If the gift you bring is a bottle of wine, is the host obligated to open and share that wine while you are present? Leave me some comments with your feelings and tell me why you believe the way you do.
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