Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 24, 1994 TAG: 9408240027
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Beth Crittenden
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Opting for a glass of the house red or white wine is a good start and it's easy, but there are so many more choices to be explored and tastes to be savored. Dining out can be an excellent opportunity to try something new, whether it's a familiar wine with a different menu item or an unfamiliar wine label or varietal.
Many restaurants feature a list of premium-wine specials that may change weekly or monthly, giving customers a frequent opportunity to try something new. The menu or your server may offer a description of the wines on special and may even offer menu recommendations to match.
Premium wines are becoming more popular in the Roanoke area, and many restaurants are responding with increased wait-staff training on wines. If the server doesn't know about the wine specials or the wine list, someone else who does will come to your assistance.
If you are looking at a wine list to select an accompaniment for your dinner, chances are good you know a little about wine, what you might like and what you can afford. I usually decide what I would like to eat, then choose a wine to compliment the entree. My husband, however, looks at the wine list first, choosing the wine and then finding an entree to match.
If you are stumped when glancing at the list or if you just want to try something new, tell your server what entree(s) you would like to order and ask for a wine recommendation. If you feel some of the wine prices are extravagant for your budget, give the server a general price range as well.
When ordering a bottle, the process and ceremony of approving the wine are fairly straightforward. First, the server should bring the bottle to your table for your inspection. "Inspect" the unopened bottle to make sure you are being poured the right wine. Everyone makes mistakes, and you should not accept the wrong wine just because it is delivered to your table.
Next, the bottle is opened and you are presented the cork. You needn't sniff, squeeze or taste it; it won't tell you anything that you cannot discover when tasting and smelling the wine. Just set it aside, admire the writing on it if you'd like, and get on with tasting the wine.
The server should pour a little wine in your glass for you to taste. This is for you, the host, to make sure the wine is sound and has not turned to vinegar or taken on an unpleasant smell or taste that makes it undrinkable, which rarely happens.
Sampling the wine is not your opportunity to decide it is too dry or too sweet for your taste, or maybe not quite what you were expecting. These are not grounds on which to return a perfectly good bottle. You may sniff, swirl and carry on as much as you'd like when tasting the wine, but sending back a bottle involves hard cash, so make sure it is truly undrinkable. If you sincerely question the soundness of the wine, it may be best to ask for another opinion from one of your tablemates or even your server.
Once you approve of the wine, the server should pour only about half the glass; stop him or her from filling it to the top. Save room in the glass to swirl, smell and enjoy your wine.
At this point you may ask the server to leave the bottle on the table and say you'll help yourself to more. Otherwise, an overly efficient server may continue to refill your wine glass, distorting your perception about the amount of wine you have actually consumed.
If you order a bottle and do not finish it, never fear. In Virginia, it is legal to take an unfinished bottle of wine with you after dining out, which encourages both sobriety and frugality. Ask your server to have the bottle recorked or resealed; transport the closed bottle in the car trunk rather than the passenger compartment. Don't be embarrassed to cart your wine home to enjoy with another meal.
Cheers!
THE WINE LIST runs once a month in the Extra section. Beth Crittenden is director of the Roanoke Valley Wine Society, which meets for wine-tasting programs the fourth Thursday of each month. Call 992-3285. Crittenden also is a Virginia wine wholesaler, and because of this affiliation will not make specific brand-name recommendations. Address your questions about wines to The Wine List, Features Department, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.
by CNB