EASTON, Md, August 31, 2011 — These days flawlessly ordering wine is an essential executive skill. Being handed the wine list in front of an important client or colleague can be intimidating especially when it's as thick as a phone book. There are some essential strategies to ordering wine when you are out at a business dinner or corporate event that will make this a stress free event.
The first step happens before you arrive at the restaurant. See if the wine lists are online. If so, you can get an idea of what they offer and do a bit of research. If not, you may want time after you are seated to digest the wine list and narrow down your choices. The easiest way to do this is to order sparkling wine to begin. Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava are usually my choices since they're tasty, affordable and pair nicely with most appetizers.
Typical restaurant markup for wine is two to four times the wholesale cost of the bottle. However, lower cost selections can be marked up more than four times and the price per glass price can be close to the cost for the whole bottle. This is why Andrew Stover, sommelier at OYA and SEI restaurants in DC, advises against ordering the least expensive wine on the list or ordering by the glass. Even if you don't think you'll finish the whole bottle, by law in Maryland and DC, you can now ask to have it corked for taking home. Andrew also added, "I will tell people to look for the weird stuff. Try offbeat grape varietals or regions that you are not as familiar with. Since these are not as known, many times they are a better value."
Chris Coker, Sommelier at Blue Grass Restaurant in Federal Hill, shared another valuable tip. "If the restaurant has a regional focus to their cuisine, like Italian or French, focus your selections on wines from there. The restaurant has most likely spent more time cultivating a good mix of quality and affordability with those wines." Pairing wines from the same region of the cuisine can also be a great strategy for finding a great match, too. Chris also suggests putting yourself in the hands of those that know the list best- ask the sommelier or waiter for assistance.
Sometimes the list is full of wineries and producers with whom you're not familiar. When this happens, Lucien Walsh, Director of Wine at The Wine Market in Locust Point, does this, "When I've narrowed down a few options, I ask to take a look at the bottles themselves to see who imports the wine. There are some high quality importers that I can rely on such as Kermit Lynch, Eric Solomon and Thierry Theise, to name a few."
Next time you're handed the wine list, instead of breaking out in a sweat, you can sit back and smile. Armed with these tips, you're bound to outsmart that list and be sipping something fabulous with your meal.
Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®, is a wine educator and author of the award-winning book “The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine.” Her specialty is delivering wine edu-tainment for corporate events, group tastings and team-building seminars. She is also a sought after guest expert on radio shows across the country, including Martha Stewart Radio. You can reach her on twitter @thewinecoach or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/winecoach.
Read more of Laurie’s work at The Sipping Point in the Communities at the Washington Times.
Want to learn more great wine secrets like these? Sign up for Laurie's free audio CD "The 7 Secrets to Flawlessly Ordering off Any List" at www.TheWineCoachSecrets.com
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