Wine List Anxiety? How to Use a Sommelier Without Tears

By Marisa D'Vari

     "I never use a sommelier," says one young businessman, shaking his head. "They're just trying to upsell you. And what if they make me look like an idiot in front of my client?"
 

     Actually, in a high end restaurant, a sommelier can be your very best friend, steering you toward well-priced, delicious "value wines" on the menu and helping you better define the attributes you and your client(s) are seeking.

      Twenty years ago, the perception of a sommelier was of a middle-aged man in a tuxedo with a silver tastevin (a small, very shallow silver cup used to judge the maturity and taste of a wine) around his neck. Today, your sommelier is just as likely to be a woman, perhaps just a few years past the legal drinking age.

     In better restaurants, most sommeliers and wine directors have serious credentials in wine, and are often charged with stocking the cellar and developing relationships with artisanal winemakers. Through these very special relationships, they are able to get their hands on well-crafted wines at a special prices and pass the savings on to you, the customer.

     Restaurant lists at top tier restaurants can be intimidating. Unless you majored in wine or worked in hospitality, the regions can be confusing and trying an unfamiliar wine can be an expensive and embarrassing mistake.

      A good sommelier will focus on helping you make the right decision by gently asking questions about your preferences in wine you currently enjoy, such as a full-bodied red or a buttery chardonnay. You can subtly indicate the price range you have in mind by discreetly putting a finger near a wine you find interesting (and of a suitable price) and saying something like, "I was interested in this wine. Can you describe it in more detail?"

      Even if you are well versed in wines, a sommelier knows his or her cellar intimately and can point you to unusual wines or secret values from small, unknown producers. Realize that they taste wines regularly from distributors, visit wineries, and know the purpose of their job is to help clients find wines they will enjoy.

      Also, consider that as many as one in ten bottles of wine is "corked" - an unpleasant, musty, moldy smell imparted by a flawed cork. When you ask a sommelier's advice on the wine, he or she will taste it before serving and bring you a new bottle if it is flawed. If you had ordered that wine on your own, you might be reluctant to bring it to the waiter's attention in front of a client, unsure if it's a real flaw or the wine simply isn't to your liking

      If you want to impress your client with your knowledge but still be open to the sommelier's advice, consider asking the restaurant in advance if you can download their wine list from their web site, or have them fax it to you so that you can read up on the wines on the Internet. You can Google the wine's name, year, and the phrase "tasting notes" or go to http://www.CellarTracker.com, where you can plug your selection into a large database and see what hundreds of other tasters wrote about the wine you are contemplating.

      Every single day, restaurant lists are adding well-balanced, delicious wines from obscure corners of the globe. Once the region of Burgundy in France was considered the best expression of the Pinot Noir grape. Today, Oregon and New Zealand vie for that crown - and at a much lower price.
Most sommeliers are enthusiastic about their job and do take delight in sharing their knowledge with you. In some very traditional Next time you're dining out, try seeking out their advice.

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Marisa D'Vari is a certified sommelier and wine specialist who
speaks and writes about groovy grapes.