Sipping wine

Consciousmess posted:

...  Who pays for the opened bottle?

Dinsdale Piranha.

Consciousness, you are tasting the wine to see if it's corked and not to see if you like it. If it's corked, they bring you another. If you don't like it, I have no idea, you shouldn't have ordered it.

tasting of the wine is to test for faults, corked tends to be the main issue. The restaurant - hotel should replace any faulty bottle with out issue,

if you dont like the wine and its not faulty well sorry! thats not thier fault or issue you should pay and drink it -if unsure always ask for opinion

remember you only have one liver don't waste it on bad wine!!

I've been given wine in a restaurant that, although not corked, has been very poor, and I've sent it back (after making the manager try it).

I've had wine recommended by the manager in a restaurant and sent back 4 consecutive bottles as it was all poor. The manager did become gradually less cheery.

A mail order wine service that I use will refund you for any bottle that you don't like. I have only had one bottle that I didn't like (and I didn't ask for a refund, just so you know that I'm not a serial nuisance!).

Yes, typically the 'tasting' is for outright flaws, not to "see if you like it."  I have had waiters / wine stewards say that if we don't care for something they'll take it back.  This is relatively unusual and I'd never send back a bottle simply because 'I don't care for it.'

My most interesting experience in this regard was at Eleven Madison Park.  My wife and I had already had a bottle of an aged Riesling, and it was time for the meat course and we were ready for a red.  The wine steward recommended a particular well-aged Cote Rotie, and said, "I'll open it for you, and you can drink as little or as much as you want.  Drink a glass each, half of the bottle, or all of it. I'll charge you only for what you drink."  It was wonderful and we drank it all.  Which is why the tour of the kitchen they gave us after the meal is a bit of a blur ;-)

I have ordered what I thought would have been the "right" wine for a course but was anything but - not bad but just wrong for what I was eating.    Just said to the waiter that I thought it was corked and got something else....easy.

Would love to hear a sommelier's perspective on much of this.

C.

Christopher_M posted:

Would love to hear a sommelier's perspective on much of this.

C.

Christopher, in my younger days I was both a Sommelier and then went through the ranks to become General Manager, now work in the wine trade

when you offer a customer a "taste" the wine it is to ensure their is now faults with the wine, when only cork was used as a seal checking for "Corked" wine was the main but not the only fault - you also have a chance to check the vintage is the one offered and the shipper - producer is also as per list

its interesting from the Sale of Goods act that they "must be fit for purpose" so if a wine is really poor take it up with the senior person at the venue, which may be a Sommelier but in most cases won't be and then put your point of view to see what happens if the wine is really bad you have a strong case

in this day and age there is no excuse to offer bad wine but some establishments still try too  VOTE WITH YOUR FEET!

most restaurants will want to work on a 60% - 70% margin of the selling price so a £15 bottle of wine in a restaurant they would like it to cost no more than £4.40 @65% margin -

TOBYJUG posted:

I have ordered what I thought would have been the "right" wine for a course but was anything but - not bad but just wrong for what I was eating.    Just said to the waiter that I thought it was corked and got something else....easy.

If it's a relatively expensive (or just outright expensive) bottle, the waiter / wine manager / sommelier will taste it too. If it's clearly not corked, you're then going to have a different discussion and one that I don't want to have when out to a nice dinner.