Editor's note: Long before Chris Shepherd became a James Beard Award-winning chef, he developed enough of a passion for wine to work at Brennan's of Houston as a sommelier. He maintains that interest to this day. When Chris expressed interest in writing about wine-related topics for CultureMap, we said yes.
In this week's column, he offers a few tips for how to order wine at a restaurant. Take it away, Chris.
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Let’s talk about the ritual of ordering wine at a restaurant. You sit at the table, and you are given the wine list. Don’t panic, and don’t rush.
Wine is love and joy. Take the complication and the fear out of it. In my years in the restaurant business, this is the part that intimidates people the most — this small, methodical ritual. Don’t stress. You’re not changing lives. You’re getting something delicious.
First things first, start with a glass of sparkling or a cocktail. I suggest a Negroni or a martini. This will give you the time you need to be successful in your wine journey.
Talk to your dinner companions. What land should you live in? Should you stick with sparkling? White? Rosé? Red? While many restaurants have sommeliers, others do not. You may be left to your own devices, which can be fun and shouldn’t be overwhelming. Always take charge.
The server presents the wine to you and shows you the label. Is it what you ordered? Is it the correct vintage? Sometimes you have to be very careful, because the restaurant may serve multiple labels from the same producer with different vintages. Just make sure it’s what you ordered.
Here comes the fun part. The server removes the foil and then the cork and hands it to you as though it’s something you want to save. Do you know anyone that saves corks? I don’t. Put it to the side. You don’t need to smell it, lick it, or taste it.
Pro tip: Don't lick the cork.Photo by Victoria Dearmond
The important part is what happens at the first taste. They’ll pour you an ounce or so. Give it a good swirl. Swirling adds oxygen and life into something that’s been held back behind a cork or a cap in a glass bottle that needs to breathe.
Now take it to the nose. What are you smelling for? Does it smell of fresh fruits, berries, citrus, oak, earth — all of the things you’d associate with a delicious bottle of wine? Does it smell of wet dog, musty cellars or cardboard? If that’s the case, your wine is corked. Give it back to your server, let them smell it, and there will be an agreement that the wine isn’t right.
Don’t be afraid of this. Nothing bad is going to happen. Here’s the real truth. It doesn’t cost the restaurant money when a wine is corked. It’s not the restaurant’s fault. It’s not the winemaker’s fault. It’s simply a chemical reaction with the cork. The restaurant will give the wine back to the distributor or whoever sold them the wine, and their bottle will be replaced. So don’t feel bad.
But keep in mind that this isn’t a taste test. It’s not the taster spoon at your local ice cream shop. Is your bottle flawed? If you ordered a bottle you just don’t like, suck it up, buttercup. You can’t send that back. But you should send back flawed wine.
Side note: screw caps get a bad rap, but wines with screw caps can’t be corked. I say, grip it and rip it!
Now that you’ve smelled the wine, give it a taste. What do you taste? Is it citrus (Gruner)? Grassy (Sauvignon Blanc)? Raspberry (Pinor Noir)? Earthy (Chateauneuf-du-Pape)? Big jammy fruit (Cabernet Sauvignon)? Or does it taste like carrying a bag of peppercorn dust through a spring forest at twilight, while feeding chocolate blackberries to feral forest creatures? This is an actual wine label from Oregon winery Bow & Arrow for a rare hybrid red grape called Léon Millot. (It’s delicious, by the way)
Now it’s time to relax and enjoy your meal. Finish your cocktail or your glass of bubbly, and enjoy the progression of your dinner. Enjoy it for what it’s supposed to be. Wine has acid, which helps you eat.
We discussed what to do about corked wine in a restaurant. What if you bought it retail? I asked a few professionals, and this is their advice. Keep your receipt and return within 24 hours after opening, and the shop will replace your bottle.
In this world, a good wine experience is more than a single bottle.
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Contact our Wine Guy via email at chris@chrisshepherdconcepts.com.
Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a non-profit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $10 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund.
