According to the Wine Etiquette, the sommelier should take care of tasting the wine (if the restaurant has such a professional figure). The sommelier knows perfectly the bottles in the wine list of the restaurant. The sommelier has the skills to evaluate the wine chosen. In short, it is a task of the sommelier. It often happens that the customer also tastes the wine to confirm or not the bottle ordered. In these cases, it is the person who ordered the wine or the person most experienced in the matter who must assume this responsibility.

Many people think that the customer tastes the wine to evaluate it. This is not true. The customer tastes the wine only to verify that it has no faults or defects. If the bottle you ordered has no defects, but you expected something more, according to the Wine Etiquette, you should agree to drink it without asking for a change. Replacement must be requested only in case of defects!

In this article, we tell you HOW you should taste wine at the restaurant.

How to taste wine in a restaurant

Imagine being at a restaurant with a group of friends. After you have sat down and ordered the wine, the waiter pours it into your glass waiting for the "OK" to continue the service to the rest of the diners. How should you taste wine in this situation?

As we wrote before, this moment is quite delicate and often generates embarrassment and tension because the attention of those who are at the table is directed to the person who tastes the wine. The first tip of the Wine Etiquette is to keep calm to make the taste in the best way. At the same time, the Wine Etiquette invites you to reduce and speed up the phases that characterize the classic wine tasting. You should not make the waiter and diners wait too long.

Follow these simple steps and tips:

1. you should not smell the cork (this is our advice): before pouring the wine, the waiter will bring you the cork on a special plate. The cork was not presented to you just to identify any faults in the wine. It is not necessary. It will be the next taste that will allow you to identify any defects. The cork was presented to you mainly to check the authenticity and originality of the bottle, checking the presence of the winery’s brand.

2. you should focus on the olfactory and gustatory examination: in a classic tasting, you should first analyze, in detail, the color of the wine and then proceed to the olfactory and gustatory examination. During the tasting at the restaurant you should focus on these last two phases, the most important to understand if the wine has faults. For more structured wines, swirl the glass to release and discover the aromas of the wine. At this point, it’s time to smell the wine. Finally, drink a small sip, keeping the wine in the mouth for a few seconds, in order to allow the palate to perceive the various nuances and properties of the wine, verifying that there are no faults.

3. You should go straight to the point: after tasting wine, you should not describe the quality or properties of wine. This is not the time to showcase your oenological knowledge. The goal of tasting at the restaurant is to provide feedback to the waiter. If you have not noticed any defects, you should give only an "ok" signal, a few words like: "The bottle is ok, thank you", otherwise, report the defect with politeness, asking for the replacement of the bottle.

Now that you know how to taste wine at the restaurant, next time do not make mistakes ...