What are the steps in wine presentation to a customer?

Question

example; in a restaurant.

Answer 1

No perfect answer for this question. Serving wines can be a complex ritual or a simple glug-glug. The most important thing just may be the purpose of the wine. Is it for a meal, general tasting, or other occasion? A few things to consider are: opening the bottle, breathing of a red, proper stemware, food paring, and condition.
The answers that I read here about service are great and so I will just add a few things. In the United states we have an obsession with cold beverages. We serve everything so cold that most of the excellent subtle flavors entended for our enjoyment, are undetected. This is due to a shock treatment to our taste buds from the cold, partially deading their sensitivity to flavors. Whites are served chilled "not nearly frozen." Reds are served at room temperature. About 50F degrees & 60F degrees respectively. A lot of leverage is given to the actual temperature the wine is served since environmental conditions must be considered, such as ambient room temperatures.
Whites do not need large goblets with aeration bowls as reds require. The large bowl in stemware designed for reds allow the taster to swirl or aerate the wine. This releases many of the aromatics from the liquid for greater olfactory enjoyment.

Breathing may be done for certain wines that need a "pre aeration" to mellow harsh tannins. Here a bottle is opened 30-45 minutes prior to service.

Serve all beverages with your right hand from the right side of the guest (right-right). Follow other suggestions given from others.

Know basic wine terminology. This will be appreciated by your guest.
It is probably best not to present the cork as few people know what to visually look for and the guest may em-barre-*** themselves by smelling it. (smell the wine not the cork!) Simply set it on the table next to the host and swiftly pour a sample. If the wine is bad (highly unlikely) off colors, flavors, and aromas will be detected from the initial taste.

Most wine merchants will educate professional servers about service. This is often conducted in conjunction with a winery rep. during a wine tasting.
Relax, don't worry, enjoy.

Answer 2

You said "to a customer" so I assume you are going to be pouring the wine. While the the other answers will give you the steps the thing you need to know be it Chili's or a 4 star restaurant is 9 times out of 10 the customer is unsure of the whole process. It takes a long time and practice to uncork with ease. Even if you have been doing it for a long time it can be difficult as you have other tables to deal with. So my point is when you are doing the opening make eye contact with the guy who ordered and chat about something. Like I said all he really wants to do is get through the process and feel like he looks like he knows what he's doing. Break the cork? Say I hate when that happens and shake your head. If you relax and have a good time nobody cares.

Answer 3

Waiter performs the following for the person who ordered the wine:

Show the label, to assure that the bottle is what was ordered.

Remove cover from cork - waiter examines cork while still in bottle for leakage and wipes lip of bottle

Remove cork and present to customer, wine-exposed side up. Note, the smell of the cork doesn't matter, as you're really looking to assure wine didn't leak past the cork.

Pour taste for orderer (or for whoever the orderer wishes to taste, which is rare)

Orderer will likely smell the wine, and taste wine. Smell and taste are really to assure no problems with the wine (bad corks and bad seals can be detected here by off smells such as vinegar, wet cardboard, etc.)

When approved, wine is poured around the table, starting with the women, and ending with the orderer.

Answer 4

After the guest has decided on the wine, you bring the bottle back to the table, show the guest the bottle so he or she can read the label, after the choice has been confirmed, you take your corkscrew out, trim the lead capsule (if it is a still wine), gently insert the screw, being careful to not strip the cork, use the lever to pull the cork out, if you feel the cork separating you drill in deeper, careful not to put too much pressure on the rim or it will crack or chip. Once the cork is out you are supposed to hand it to the guest, pour a little wine in their glass, let them swirl the wine, sniff it, taste it to make sure it is good, and then you pour in a counter clockwise direction.

Answer 5

The proper way is for the man to be the tester (there is a reason for this).

First the cork should be pulled by the waiter then the guy is suppose to smell it to make sure the wine is not vinegary.

Then the waiter pores a small portion for the man to taste. This is why the guy tests, he does this in case any stuff from the cork is left, it goes into his glass so the woman gets the first good glass of wine.

He taste it to make sure it is good, then the woman is pored a proper glass.

Then the guy has his glass filled then the bottle is placed on the table, you pore it from there.

Answer 6

I just want to comment that it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A MAN who is the tester!! It should be whoever ordered the wine!! I know many couples where the man is completely smell-impaired and would never know the difference between a bad and a good glass of wine. It is critical that the person who *ordered* the wine and can best detect a fault be the one who samples it - regardless of their gender.

They can start pouring with whoever they want to regardless of who does that test.

Lisa Shea
http://www.WineIntro.com

Answer 7

1- present clean wine glasses 2- present bottle to the one who ordered it 3- cut foil, slip into pocket 4- remove cork- make sure lable faces table @ all times leave cork if it is red wine no need if it is a white wine 5- pour taste for the one who ordered, keeping lable towards person and turning bottle after pour so u dont drip wait to see if they like it 6- pour to all woman first, lable facing each person and remember to turn bottle , pour to rest of table- if the table orders a second bottle of the same wine present one clean glass to the person who ordered it rest of table uses same glass

Answer 8

Hey Minniemouse,

I am impressed with several of your attendees! My hat is off to RobW, EtOHRx and mostly, to Werts! I have worked in several 4+ star restaurants and each of their answers are about as right as you are going to get from a non-sommelier.

I hope you are able to pick one of them for the best answer!

Happy Decanting!


James

Answer 9

Show them the bottle, open it, and pour the woman first then the man. Hold the bottle at the bottom with a white towel and turn the bottle when you're done pouring.

Answer 10

Advise them that taste is a very personal matter and unique to each person.......there is no right or wrong about it. IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE TASTE, OFFER ANOTHER CHOICE WITHOUT BEING JUDGEMENTAL. There is way too much "hype" about wine.