Wine by the Glass was a splendid idea! We saw it coming right around the same time Salamandre went commercial in the 1980’s.
Wine by the glass made it feasible for wine lovers to sample different varieties and compare different producers without going broke. Equally pertinent, it also made it possible to enjoy wine with dinner without trespassing beyond the boundaries of moderation.
For restaurants, single servings enabled more customers to enjoy the harmony of good wine with their food. Needless to say, it also became a welcome source of revenue from patrons who might otherwise have responsibly demurred on a full bottle because of the drive home…or simply shied away from the price.
Ah, as Bruce Springsteen reminded us, with every blessing there comes a curse.
What happens to that open bottle behind the bar before it pours your glass? Turns out there are multiple answers to that!
Busy restaurants with a prideful tradition of wine and food matching…Italian, French, Californian, Argentinian, and so many others…use enough wine that a bottle will usually be emptied within a day of surrendering its cork. Your glass of wine will likely be fresh, bright, and delightful.
However, even restaurants with that background may sometimes offer so many wines by the glass that an opened bottle can hang around a week before it reaches the bottom, especially if it’s not a mainstream variety. Unless those restaurants have a nitrogen system to preserve the wine, you’re taking a chance of getting a ten-dollar glass full of stale, oxidized, dull wine.
A larger risk emerges in restaurants where the featured fare does not have a cultural history of pairing with wine. Quite a few fabulous Asian, Indian, Mexican, Central American, and Middle Eastern cuisines have little history with wine. Wine by the glass in one of these restaurants can be pretty tired before it reaches your table.
There are a few things you can do to spend your money wisely and better enjoy your dining experience.
1. If a busy restaurant has a small number of featured wines by the glass, those ones probably have a brisk turnover, and they’re likely fresh. If you’re the early bird patron on Tuesday, though, ask for a fresh bottle. If the server seems unwilling, skip it, and hum the Eagles’ song Girl from Yesterday.
2. If you’re sharing a table for four, buy a whole bottle. (No secret—a bottle carries 5 standard servings. Wine by the glass is priced at ¼ of the full bottle price. 4 glasses is the break-even point.) As long as your party can agree on a choice, the issue of partial containers becomes moot.
3. Ask how they preserve their opened bottles. Nitrogen system—it’s a go. Vacuum system? Umm, lots of human variability and some tech challenges, so that’s not so reliable after a day. Taking the hint that you have discriminating taste, though, often the waiter will offer you either a tiny test sample…or open the bottle at your table. That’s perfect.
4. You can ask to see the bottle before the server pours it…suggest you’re curious about the label if you meet any resistance. Actually, if you meet resistance, that answers your question. Skip the wine and order beer instead.
5. Seriously, most spicy Asian foods and Mexican foods…which I dearly love…cry out for cold beer in the first place.
And…if you’re wondering what to do with a partial bottle at home, please read our Salamandre suggestions with the link below!
What To Do With an Opened Bottle
August 2015
Wells Shoemaker MD, Winemaker
Salamandre Wine Cellars
Wine by the glass made it feasible for wine lovers to sample different varieties and compare different producers without going broke. Equally pertinent, it also made it possible to enjoy wine with dinner without trespassing beyond the boundaries of moderation.
For restaurants, single servings enabled more customers to enjoy the harmony of good wine with their food. Needless to say, it also became a welcome source of revenue from patrons who might otherwise have responsibly demurred on a full bottle because of the drive home…or simply shied away from the price.
Ah, as Bruce Springsteen reminded us, with every blessing there comes a curse.
What happens to that open bottle behind the bar before it pours your glass? Turns out there are multiple answers to that!
Busy restaurants with a prideful tradition of wine and food matching…Italian, French, Californian, Argentinian, and so many others…use enough wine that a bottle will usually be emptied within a day of surrendering its cork. Your glass of wine will likely be fresh, bright, and delightful.
However, even restaurants with that background may sometimes offer so many wines by the glass that an opened bottle can hang around a week before it reaches the bottom, especially if it’s not a mainstream variety. Unless those restaurants have a nitrogen system to preserve the wine, you’re taking a chance of getting a ten-dollar glass full of stale, oxidized, dull wine.
A larger risk emerges in restaurants where the featured fare does not have a cultural history of pairing with wine. Quite a few fabulous Asian, Indian, Mexican, Central American, and Middle Eastern cuisines have little history with wine. Wine by the glass in one of these restaurants can be pretty tired before it reaches your table.
There are a few things you can do to spend your money wisely and better enjoy your dining experience.
1. If a busy restaurant has a small number of featured wines by the glass, those ones probably have a brisk turnover, and they’re likely fresh. If you’re the early bird patron on Tuesday, though, ask for a fresh bottle. If the server seems unwilling, skip it, and hum the Eagles’ song Girl from Yesterday.
2. If you’re sharing a table for four, buy a whole bottle. (No secret—a bottle carries 5 standard servings. Wine by the glass is priced at ¼ of the full bottle price. 4 glasses is the break-even point.) As long as your party can agree on a choice, the issue of partial containers becomes moot.
3. Ask how they preserve their opened bottles. Nitrogen system—it’s a go. Vacuum system? Umm, lots of human variability and some tech challenges, so that’s not so reliable after a day. Taking the hint that you have discriminating taste, though, often the waiter will offer you either a tiny test sample…or open the bottle at your table. That’s perfect.
4. You can ask to see the bottle before the server pours it…suggest you’re curious about the label if you meet any resistance. Actually, if you meet resistance, that answers your question. Skip the wine and order beer instead.
5. Seriously, most spicy Asian foods and Mexican foods…which I dearly love…cry out for cold beer in the first place.
And…if you’re wondering what to do with a partial bottle at home, please read our Salamandre suggestions with the link below!
What To Do With an Opened Bottle
August 2015
Wells Shoemaker MD, Winemaker
Salamandre Wine Cellars