Class Notes- March 31

Restaurant Etiquette

Your average Applebee's will not know what a decanter is, nor really what wine is.
"I'm a jaded bastard and I don't give a shit." -Boyer

Anything not in a bottle is just the house wine.

Ordering Wine:
Non-Chains will have more variety than Chain restaurants.
Restaurant mark up is typically 300%. UGH. In the last 5 years or so though, that number is going down. And now, in Virginia, you can sometimes bring your own alcohol.

"If your state has a law about something, Virginia has three." -Boyer

If you're going to bring a bottle of wine to a restaurant and paying the corkage fee, don't use it as a way to save money. Don't bring Yellowtail.
It's about bringing a special bottle for a special occasion.

When ordering by the bottle, always pick your meal first. When in doubt, order a sparkling white wine.
Ask, does the chef have a pairing for this? Ask for suggestions.

You always want the bottle to be SEALED when it comes to you. That way, you know which wine is in the bottle (the one you ordered).

During the sniff and swirl, you're looking for off flavors. Not for tastiness.
The more expensive the restaurant is, the more likely they are to hand you the cork. Whyyyy sniff the cork?

"Sniffffffff..... YES. That is cork." -Boyer

If you're buying a $50+ bottle of wine, you can go ahead and ask them to decant it.