The Wine Forum: The Wine List is Your Friend
Jake Ellerbrock '02
Issue date: 11/5/00 Section: Diversions
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Imagine yourself at a nice restaurant (this may be difficult if you stayed in Ithaca over break) with your boss. The hostess seats you and hands you the wine list. Yes, the dreaded wine list is yours. You try to pass it on to your boss, but your boss insists that you choose the wine. If you are like most people you may start to perspire at the prospect of choosing the “wrong” wine while trying to make a good impression.
Not to worry! Here’s what you do…
The easiest answer is to ask your server for a recommendation. Test your server’s knowledge first by asking him about a wine that you are familiar with to see what he says about it. If the response is similar to yours, you can probably trust his judgment. Some finer restaurants have a sommelier (Som-El-Yay), someone devoted to assisting customers with wine decisions. This will make your life easy. There is no shame in asking for a recommendation. It does help, however, to know a little about what types of wine you like and share these preferences with your server or the sommelier.
If you would rather make the decision yourself here are some basics. Most wine lists are organized by wine type (red or white), and then by varietal (i.e. Chardonnay [Char-Dun-Nay], Merlot [Mer-Low]), and/or price. The first step in choosing a wine will likely be to decide whether you want a red or white wine. The common perception is that white wines go well with chicken and fish and red wines go well with red meat. This isn’t necessarily always true, but it can help simplify the decision. The fact is that liking the wine is the most important thing. But, what if you decide on a steak while your companion decides on fish. The polite thing to do is to order something that matches well with your companion’s meal.
So now you have eliminated half of the wine list. What next? Look for some familiar names, both producers and varietals. If you can find something by a producer that you like, even if the varietal isn’t the one that you are familiar with, that may be a pretty good bet. Most wine producers have what is referred to as a “house style,” meaning their wines tend to share certain characteristics, such as oakiness or smoothness. This is due to the winemaker’s personal preferences.
Not to worry! Here’s what you do…
The easiest answer is to ask your server for a recommendation. Test your server’s knowledge first by asking him about a wine that you are familiar with to see what he says about it. If the response is similar to yours, you can probably trust his judgment. Some finer restaurants have a sommelier (Som-El-Yay), someone devoted to assisting customers with wine decisions. This will make your life easy. There is no shame in asking for a recommendation. It does help, however, to know a little about what types of wine you like and share these preferences with your server or the sommelier.
If you would rather make the decision yourself here are some basics. Most wine lists are organized by wine type (red or white), and then by varietal (i.e. Chardonnay [Char-Dun-Nay], Merlot [Mer-Low]), and/or price. The first step in choosing a wine will likely be to decide whether you want a red or white wine. The common perception is that white wines go well with chicken and fish and red wines go well with red meat. This isn’t necessarily always true, but it can help simplify the decision. The fact is that liking the wine is the most important thing. But, what if you decide on a steak while your companion decides on fish. The polite thing to do is to order something that matches well with your companion’s meal.
So now you have eliminated half of the wine list. What next? Look for some familiar names, both producers and varietals. If you can find something by a producer that you like, even if the varietal isn’t the one that you are familiar with, that may be a pretty good bet. Most wine producers have what is referred to as a “house style,” meaning their wines tend to share certain characteristics, such as oakiness or smoothness. This is due to the winemaker’s personal preferences.