Tips for ordering wine in a restaurant

" If you land yourself, dining in a fine restaurant or a regular restaurant , It could be a date, a work dinner, or an evening with friends , trying to order a bottle of wine can be sometimes uncomfortable and intimidating "

"To make thinks easier here are my best tips ordering wine in a restaurant "

Tip 1

Start with an aperitif, a pre-dinner drink, believe it or not it has its purpose.It cleans and prepares your palate for the fantastic meal that awaits.

Everything will taste better after an aperitif and improves yours and your guests mood.

Ideal pre-dinner drink are Campari, dry vodka or gin Martini, glass of Champagne or Prosecco.

Tip 2

Trust your Sommelier ,there are many benefits in getting assistance from your somm,"Tell them what you like and what you don't like".

Be open to suggestions ,Indicate Your Price, buy showing to your Somm a wine that you are interesting about and ask him for suggestions. they can take you in the direction of unique gems that will make your dining experience all the more exciting.

It’s also good to indicate what dishes you’re considering ordering so that they can make a recommendation based on the food.

Tip 3

Think about food and wine matching.If you're in an Italian restaurant, order an Italian wine. If you're in a Greek restaurant, go for a Greek wine.

The most important element of all is matching the body of the food and the wine, that is the weight and style of both.For example, if you're eating rich, red meat then you'll want something equally weighty and powerful to go with it Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Maratheftiko, Amarone .

Red lighter-bodied wines go well with fish like Tuna and lighter pasta with a red sauce, Pinot Noir, Gamay (Beaujolais), Valpolicella.

If you were to order white Fish or Seafood it deserves a light and delicate white wine,Xynisteri, Morokanella, Sauvignon Blanc, Pino Grigio, or Rose wine.

If your dish is cream based, find a wine with a higher acid. The acid in the wine cuts through the oiliness of the dish to create a balance.

Red wines with High acid, Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Franc,Montepulciano.

White wines with High acid, Albarino, Aligote, Assyrtiko,Xynisteri.

Chardonnay wines is a great pairing with fish dish cream based.

Tip 4

Taste the wine if is Possible. Some fine restaurant they have a great selections of wines by glass with the possibility of trying them before making your choice.

Don't hesitate tasting the wines , If the wine is faulty,or you dont like it refuse it and order another one( if your not sure that the wine is faulty ask your Somm to try it as well).

Don’t feel embarrassed, at the end of the day the best wine is the wine you like.

Tip 5

Order by the glass or half Bottles, twice the pleasure.

You can order a light ( Red , White or Rose ) with your appetizers and more rich full body wine with your main.

Marios Constantinides Sommelier

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