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Dine in a Formal Restaurant
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Step 4:
Master the wine service
Ordering wine can strike terror into the heart of any diner. What to choose? How to pronounce it? And what's the deal with smelling the cork? Fear not--with a few guidelines, the service can be a snap.
The order. Your wine order may be taken by the restaurant's wine steward instead of your server. This person has an expert grasp of the intricacies of wine, as well as the restaurant's stock. Both the steward and the server should be able to give sound recommendations to go along with your meal. Although you can usually order by the glass or the bottle, certain selections may only be available by bottle--the wine list should provide this information.
The approval. When your wine is brought to the table, the ritual of approval begins: The bottle is first presented to you (or to whomever ordered the wine). This is to be sure you don't have the wrong selection, which can be a costly mistake. Once you confirm, the server or steward opens the bottle at the table and may present you with the cork. This is to verify the authenticity of the wine, since the winery's name is stamped there, and to make sure the cork isn't cracked or moldy, indicating a compromised bottle. (No, you don't have to smell the cork.)
Next, the server pours about an ounce into your glass for the final test. Drink up. There's no need to smell or swill, and you're not taste testing, either--again, you're just making sure the wine hasn't gone bad (an incredibly slim possibility). Once final approval is given, the wine is poured by the server, ladies first.
Drinking and pouring. Hold a glass of red wine with your thumb and first two fingers cupping the bowl, and your last two fingers lightly touching the stem. Hold a glass of white wine by the stem so your hand won't warm it up. In some restaurants the server will refill your glass, but in others this is left to your discretion. If this is the case, the host of the party typically pours (unless the party is particularly large).
To properly pour, hold the bottle by its body (not the neck), without letting any part of the bottle touch the glass. Just as you finish the pouring, give the bottle a slight, swift, upward rotation as you lift it away. This should stop any stray drips from hitting the tablecloth--yet another etiquette no-no.
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