Choosing wine out of the wine list seems to be like taking a final exam when you did not prepare for it. This situation can be described as a universal feeling of panic. Your server smiles at you, and leaves you with a thought of how alike a Merlot and a Malbec can be. Relax. This situation is nowhere near the one when you try to defuse a bomb.
The easiest thing to do in this case is to talk to your server. Indeed, tell him what you are going to eat and give him a price range. You can even show him the price of the bottle you consider normal and say: “Something around here”. The server does this kind of work all the time. He needs you to be satisfied so that he could receive an appropriate tip.
In case if the second cheapest bottle of wine is the cheapest one plus some dollars – you better not choose this one. As a matter of fact, you can notice that everybody orders this kind of bottle of wine, since he or she feels guilty about ordering the cheapest one. Restaurants know about this psychological trick and mark up prices for this bottle. So, in case if you are on a tight budget, just order the house red or white wine.
To impress your friends by choosing wine, you may use the term “Old World”. It means wines which are produced in European countries such as France and Italy. Wines which are produced there tend to be earthier and more acidic compared to others. “New World” means wines which come from California or Australia. Their wines are bold and fruity.
The vertical tasting is the perfect way out in the situations when your boss pays for your dinner. Though the term may seem extremely sophisticated, it simply means that you will drink different years of the same wine. You will look really sophisticated and knowledgeable in wines, even though this will not be the case.
Do not let anybody persuade you to buy a bottle of $200. A bottle of $40 Montepulciano can suit you just as well. Just go ahead and order it.
Thanks for reading this post! – MyPlugin