Comments on: Causing trouble again @EatingOurWords: How to send back a bottle of wine #ShitStorm

By: Irwin

Irwin — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:12:11 +0000

excellent

By: Lauren

Lauren — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:45:52 +0000

Interesting… Can’t wait to hear your thoughts about sending back a “correct” wine that isn’t to one’s taste.

By: Matt - Wine Club Guide

Matt - Wine Club Guide — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:10:48 +0000

Such an important thing to learn, and my experience is that a lot of people would rather not be embarrassed or seem “haughty” by sending back a wine that isn’t correct. In my years of ordering bottles in restos, I have only had two occasions where I had to send back a bottle. Once is was clearly corked; the other time was more complicated – something was *off* but I wasn’t sure quite what was off about it, and this is inherently difficult, but it is also the job of the waiter or sommelier to make it as easy as possible for a diner. Luckily both times it happened, it was a seamless transition, but without posts like this, where would people learn the etiquette? Thanks for an interesting perspective.

By: Susannah

Susannah — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:34:42 +0000

What an interesting post. I’ve never had that happen to me and I wonder how I would have reacted. What I have had happen is sometimes a waiter, not usually a sommelier, will bring over a wine that they say I ordered and actually bring me something different because it’s already open and they assume I don’t the difference. I wonder does that happen to men too? I am sure it does but it always surprises me when it happens in a great restaurant like one that I dined at on Friday in Manhattan which shall remain nameless. Interested to know your thoughts.

By: Do Bianchi

Do Bianchi — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:34:04 +0000

“I do love when the sommelier tries the wine before us and sends it back automatically. The sign of a truly great restaurant.” It’s so true. It’s one of the great disconnects of our restaurant scene in the U.S., the fact that onus of gauging the wine’s fitness is on the end user and not the person selling the wine.

By: Andy Pasternak

Andy Pasternak — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:30:15 +0000

When I’ve had questions (sometimes happens when I order an offbeat wine), I usually have the sommelier or the waiter try the wine. It does get tough when they tell me that’s supposed to be how the wine tastes and I don’t like (happened once in Italy and I think the waiter was trying to pull the wool over our tourist eyes). I do love when the sommelier tries the wine before us and sends it back automatically. The sign of a truly great restaurant.