"good wine is a good familiar creature" -Shakespeare
This is a tutorial designed to aid anyone who wants to overcome their fear of ordering wine at a restaurant or just wants to know more about the ritual etiquette that takes place when ordering wine. The learner will develop a knowledge of wine ordering etiquette, be able to use the correct pronunciation of different wines and common terms, and come to an understanding of what wine to choose. You may proceed in a linear fashion or jump to the section you are interested in. Cheers!
The Ritual Dance part 2: Leading.
When the Sommelier comes back to take your order,
now it is time to take charge. If the restaurant's wine list is
clear, and you have decided on what to order then it is time to
do a real-life test of your new pronunciation skills. If you are
still unsure of your pronunciation, often restaurants with a
substantial wine list will use a bin number for identification
purposes, so just use that. If there is no bin number, you can
just point or ask the Sommelier how to pronounce the
name--remember they are paid to know their wines, you aren't! We
will discuss actual wine selection tips
later. If you are ordering an older wine, you may ask them to
decant it to reduce the amount of sediment.