Tips for picking the perfect wine
When it comes to wine and what to order many people hit a road-block. Before I spent time learning the different varietals (examples cabernet savignon, chardonnay or merlot) and tasted these grapes I had a difficult time ordering the perfect wine for dinner. Here are a few tips that will make your food and wine experience more enjoyable.
1. Decide on a budget. You can find yourself in a lot of trouble once the waiter places a wine list in front of you and spending more that you'd like. Set your budget once you look over the wines and see the restaurant's pricing.
2. Ask for Help! If the restaurant has a wine steward or sommelier speak to them. (Some restaurants may not have a wine expert so ask the waiter what he recommends or what others order from their selection.)
3. Share with the waiter or wine expert everyones likes and dislikes. Do you like Red or White? When you drink wine is it from California (or the US) or do you like French, Italian or Australian? If you like Reds do you like full-body like cabernet savignon or syrah or something medium body like merlot or pinot noir. If you like Whites they can typically be classified into several categories like Oak, Buttery or Fruit-forward. If you ask for help the restaurant will usually help you find the right bottle!
For Valentine's Day we ate at N9ne Steakhouse and I told the sommelier my budget. A good sommelier (which he was) asked me and my wife many different questions on likes and dislikes. We ended up with a 2003 Neyers Syrah from Napa. Something I have never tried. It was great and made our evening more special.
I hope you have a great food and wine experience tonight or in the future and hope these tips help!
Please share your wine experiences that led to you or your party having a more enjoyable dinning experience.