Wine list advice: You’re the boss and the sommelier is your friend
Restaurants are finally opening up again – you’re going to eat a meal that you didn’t cook! Time to dust off and squeeze into your old favourite threads. After working in some of London’s best restaurants for the last 15 years I’ve got some top tips on how to get the most out of your experience when picking your wine.
Always remember that talking to restaurant staff about wine isn’t some kind of test. It’s a chance for a fruitful chat about what you like, so you can drink something you’ll love. You aren’t expected to be a wine expert: nobody is, except the people who do it for a living.
You don’t need to impress the sommeliers or front of house staff, they’re the ones who should be trying to impress you. It’s the sommelier’s job not just to be an expert on wine, but an expert in helping customers get something they’ll love.
Most people who work with wine do it out of love, so don’t feel bad about giving the staff a chance to help you. If you ask a wine waiter for help and engage them in their favourite subject, you’ll probably make their day.
Be open about what you know and don’t know, and ask about anything you don’t understand or recognise on the list. At the outset, it can be particularly useful to ask a sommelier how they’ve organised their list – by region, by grape, by style? – as everyone does this differently.
What you love is always a good place to start. If it’s easier to name wines you’ve tried and liked before then go for it, it’s often the best way to describe your tastes without having to drift into ‘wine-speak’. Equally, if you’ve been on holiday somewhere and loved the wines you drank there, that can be a great clue for a sommelier as to what you’re into. Once you’ve explained what you like, be clear if you want something similar to your usual, or if you’re happy to be gently led out of your comfort zone: both approaches are equally valid.
Don’t assume a sommelier is trying to fleece you. It would be disingenuous to ignore the fact that restaurants are business, but it’s thoughtful service that keeps restaurants full, not ripping off customers at every opportunity. You probably wouldn’t start from the assumption that the person who takes your food order is going to try to scam you, judge you or get you to order the most expensive dish for the sake of it, so why assume the wine waiter is?
Yes, wine is more expensive in restaurants than it is in a shop – sometimes twice the price. But it’s worth reminding yourself that spirits and cocktails have a much higher mark-up than wine in almost all instances, so if you’re out and dining, a good wine is a bargain.
All those supposed formulae/tricks to finding the ‘best value’ wine on a list – pick the second-cheapest, etc – are myths. By all means go for the second-cheapest if that’s your budget, but don’t think it’s got some magical significance. As a general rule, you’ll often get better value – ie the restaurant will be taking a smaller cut – on the most expensive wines, but since that means you have to buy the priciest wines to get the best deal, it’s not exactly useful if you’re bargain hunting.
Don’t be ashamed of the fact you have a budget. Most people need to at least keep an eye on price when ordering wine, so you’re the norm. Only oligarchs and people with big business accounts don’t have to live that way. It’s the sommeliers job to take your needs into account, but they can only do that if you tell them what your requirements are. After all, you wouldn’t walk into a car dealership to buy a ride but refuse to tell the salespeople your budget.
• Bert Blaize is the founder of wine shop Bottles & Jars, check them out here.