5 things to know when ordering wine, even if you’re a seasoned drinker
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five things to know when ordering wine, even if y'all're a seasoned drinker
Can you render a wine? Should you lot decant information technology? Nosotros ask Singapore's top sommeliers what's acceptable etiquette.
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xiii Mar 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 21 May 2022 11:52AM)
Picking a wine at a restaurant can be a rather intimidating feel, even for seasoned drinkers. Can you return a vino? Should you lot decant information technology? What are the rules? Nosotros talk to the city's top sommeliers to find out what'due south acceptable etiquette within their playbook.
A WINE Can Be RETURNED – WITH Skillful REASON
Wines are unpredictable. You browse the wine list and spot that First Growth Bordeaux that so impressed you at your dominate's New year's day'southward party. Y'all society a bottle. The sommelier opens it and pours you lot a glass to effort. It tastes very unlike from what y'all remembered of the wine. Tin you return the bottle?
Co-ordinate to Zachary Tay, head sommelier of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, you can return the bottle – or enquire for a change – if the vino has a fault (significant information technology is spoiled). For most wine bars and restaurants, this is the standard policy.
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For beginners, identifying a wine fault is a catchy task, and even wine buffs can struggle to pinpoint an verbal flaw. But there are iii common faults that agonize wines: The wine can be oxidised (exposed to too much oxygen, resulting in brown hues and a lack of aroma); information technology can contain TCA, an acronym of the chemical 2,4,6-tricholoranisole, which causes a musty, mouldy smell; or information technology can be affected by Brettanomyces (often shortened to Brett), a yeast strain that causes an unpleasant, medicinal odour.
In some instances, the sommelier would have identified the fault before you lot exercise. "Our sommelier team is trained to gustatory modality a small portion of the wine before serving it to the invitee," said Eric Li, head sommelier of Raffles Singapore. "If a vino error is found, the sommelier immediately changes the bottle."
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If the wine doesn't have a fault, yous tin still render it – depending on the situation and the establishment's rules. "If the wine was recommended by me and did non see the guest'south expectations, I would accept the render if we are unable to bear witness why the recommended vino was what the customer asked for," said Tay. "If the wine was chosen by the guest, and we had brash him virtually the expected flavor profile of the wine [earlier he ordered], it is unlikely nosotros would have a render.
"That being said, I believe the chances of successfully returning a wine in such a situation depends on how the invitee asks to return the said canteen, and the prior interactions between him and the service staff," he added. Tip: Be prissy to service staff, as you always should.
Vincent Tan, head sommelier of Odette, says that it is well within the correct of a eating house to decline a return if the wine displays no obvious flaws. "But at the terminate of the twenty-four hour period, we are in the hospitality business organization, with the belief that customer satisfaction should always be the priority," he said. "I'd accept the return and speak to the guest to understand the exact reasons and what they might be looking for instead. From there, nosotros'd be happy to recommend a wine more suited to his or her profile."
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DECANTING IS NOT JUST FOR YOUNG WINES
Decanting – pouring a wine into a decanter or vessel – helps aerate the wine, which is beneficial for a young vino equally it helps soften the tannins and let the wine to open or breathe.
Quondam wines that have a lot of sediments, and wines that are disjointed or with aromas that don't friction match the gustation profile stand up to gain from decanting too, noted Tay. Just decanting is not obligatory. "The invitee has the final say in whether to decant a bottle of wine," he added.
"The sommelier should convey the reasons [behind the decanting] of the wine, and use decanting as a skill to help raise the enjoyment of the wine," opined Gerald Lu, head sommelier of Praelum Vino Bistro. "But ultimately, the decision lies with the guest – in that location are many people who don't like their wines decanted."
ORDERED A Wine Past THE Drinking glass AND DON'T SEE THE BOTTLE? Enquire FOR Information technology
Thanks to the wine culture boom, wines-by-the-glass selections have become wider and more diverse in vino bars and restaurants. Fifty-fifty if you aren't ordering a bottle, there is null incorrect with asking the sommelier to nowadays the bottle earlier he pours your ambrosia.
"Increasingly, at that place are establishments that practise sending glasses from the bar – the motivation behind this may exist the accurate measurement of the pour; one tin estimate better at the counter rather than free-pouring at the table," said Tan. "But I believe [presenting the bottle] should be the norm as it is an opportunity to appoint the guests with tangible testify of the winemaker's efforts, have a conversation about the wine, and ensure they are happy with the option."
"People feel more comfortable when they get to see how something is served in front end of them," said Lu. "At Praelum Vino Bistro, we as well allow the customer taste [the wine by the glass order] before we pour the wine."
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WINE PAIRINGS ARE NOT GUARANTEED MAGIC
Information technology is the sommelier'south chore to recommend a wine to complement your food. But don't await stardust.
"Some customers call up that when we practice a vino pairing, something magical must happen in their mouths," said Lu. "That is a misconception. The wine is actually something to elevate your dish, to let your food shine. Sometimes we have to manage expectations: If someone comes to a seafood restaurant and wants us to pair the delicate food with a young, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, that can be very challenging."
SOMMELIERS ARE NOT OUT TO Break YOUR BANK
Yeo 11 Yang, group co-head sommelier of Park90, says the biggest misconception from guests is that "sommeliers are looking to squeeze the nearly dollars out of the paying customer".
"Based on my observation, customers are generally more cautious towards service staff, merely are more than likely to give chefs and bartenders the liberty to express their craft," said Yeo.
Tan remarks that people remember sommeliers are "intimidating to talk to", and many guests are reluctant "to seek the help of a sommelier and often rely on other members of the service team to take wine orders".
"This isn't wrong but ane would miss out on a wider range of vino information. I think [this fear] stems from a history of sommeliers who have regarded revenue as a chief priority instead of guest satisfaction; generations of people trying to sell the highest priced canteen instead of listening to what guests want and offering something that may or may not be of lower value."
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/things-to-know-when-ordering-wine-177371
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