As I have said many times, there is rarely a meal or food item
that cannot be enhanced by a glass of wine. My morning Cornflakes
aside, the match made in heaven is wine and food.
A number of restaurants serve wine and have wine lists. Wine
lists can be intimidating, but they don’t have to be. You are the
customer, and the service you receive should make you feel welcomed
and comfortable from start to finish.
As I have said many times, there is rarely a meal or food item that cannot be enhanced by a glass of wine. My morning Cornflakes aside, the match made in heaven is wine and food.
A number of restaurants serve wine and have wine lists. Wine lists can be intimidating, but they don’t have to be. You are the customer, and the service you receive should make you feel welcomed and comfortable from start to finish.
A good way to try wine is by the glass. Some restaurants have an extensive wine-by-the-glass offering. Order a few glasses, pass them around to your companions and this may help you make a decision.
Be careful, though. If not cared for properly, wine can lose its structure shortly after being opened. I hate getting that glass of wine and realizing it has been neglected in the back room for a week. Politely inquire if the wine is coming from a freshly opened bottle.
Ordering a bottle helps to avoid this dilemma. It is very rare that you will receive a bottle that is corked, meaning spoiled by oxidation. If you are unsure about what to order, restaurant staff should be able to help guide you.
One intimidating thing about a wine list is the prices. Wine is usually marked up significantly, and people feel pressured to order the most-expensive wines. Expensive does not always equate to quality or something you will enjoy. I try to stay informed about some wines and trends. That way, I feel I can make a good decision when it comes to getting good wine at a good price. Ordering that hidden gem bottle on the menu makes you feel great and gets you a few pats on the back from your friends!
If I have the honor of ordering wine for the table, I usually get prepared with the wine list and make a few choices in my mind during cocktails. Depending on what my companions order, that helps me narrow down the choices. I tell the waiter or sommelier in advanced that I would like to order the wine right after the dinner order is taken.
The wine should arrive in time to breathe and taste before the courses start to arrive. Once I was so elated with the wines I was going to choose that I ordered up a couple of strong, full-bodied red wines before anyone had a chance to sit down. The wine came to the table, but everyone ended up ordering fish and seafood. Not a mistake to end the evening, but a good lesson learned.
Many restaurants will let you bring your own wine into the establishment and charge you a corkage fee, the reason being they are providing the glasses, wine service and cleanup. Corkage fees vary from place to place, but they can be anywhere between $5 and $20 a bottle. This makes sense if you have a favorite wine that the restaurant does not carry or if the cost of the wine plus corkage does not exceed the wine list price. If I do bring in a bottle, I usually order one from the menu, too.
I do not always follow this etiquette, but try to bring your wine in concealed – not in a brown paper bag or under your coat, but in a decorative bag or wine caddy.
If you do not have a wine caddy, try this trick: Cut out a piece of decorative fabric, about 18 inches by 18 inches. Cut a 1/4-inch piece of cloth about 6 inches in length. Place the bottle in the middle of the inner fabric, and pull up all corners around the stem of the bottle. Tie off the ends with the small piece and you’re set.
I am always excited about going to restaurants. To me, the meal itself is a treat. Even though I am paying for the meal and service, food to me always tastes better if someone else makes it for you. I cannot say that with more emphasis. There is a good chance that strangers are preparing your food in restaurants, but no matter. They are putting hard work and thought into what they are serving you.
Even better is when a loved one makes a meal for you. It takes that sensation to another level. Your mother’s meatloaf or your father’s pasta dish always turned out better than the identical recipe you followed because they put love and kindness into the dish. It was a way of expressing how much they cared for you. No amount of seasoning can compete with that.
Eat, drink and be merry!
Bottle of the Week
Pedrizzetti Winery,
Morgan Hill
Wine: 2004 petite sirah
Price: $12
Grape: 100 percent petite sirah
Flavors: Berry-ish flavor with spicy
aftertaste; intensely fruity
Where: The wine can be purchased at the winery, 1645 San Pedro Ave. in Morgan Hill. The winery can be reached at (408) 779-7389.
Why: The wine is a deep, flavorful and textured wine, says owner Phyllis Pedrizzetti.
