Decoding the wine list

There’s a secret to ordering wine at a restaurant. But like making cheap long distance phone calls–first you have to know the code. Most restaurants have two wine lists. There’s the one they put on your table, which may be as simple as a choice between the house red and the house white, or as complex as the blueprint for the B-2 bomber. This first wine list is the public list, known as the “regular” or “standard” list. The second list, the “reserve,” is the one kept in the back for the true connoisseurs, and the prices reflect the rarity of the wines. This list is for people with expertise and the financial wherewithal to indulge their tastes. If you’re someone who is used to buying off this second list, you’re way ahead of us.


Most restaurants with an extensive wine list also employ a guy (or gal) whose job is simply to help you select the right wine to go with your meal. This person is called the “Wine Steward,” which sounds even more impressive when you use the French term, Sommelier (sum-ah-lee-yay).

The Sommelier can be your best friend, especially if you don’t try to one -up him by showing off how much you know. Still, you don’t want to throw yourself totally on the Sommelier’s mercy and you don’t want to look like a doofus in front of your friends. So here are some simple rules for negotiating a wine list. First of al, don’t be afraid to describe, even in the most rudimentary terms, what you like in a wine when seeking advice from the wait staff.

It can be a bad sign if the list is dominated by the “top ten” in wineries–with more than a few selections from the same place.

Avoid the “house” wine. “House” wine is a generic wine available by the glass or carafe. You usually have your choice of white or red, and sometimes a sparkling wine. House wines are like keg beer. You get whatever is cheapest. Sometimes it’s pretty drinkable, but most of the time it’s forgettable. And for the same price, or even less, you can get something nice indeed.

Notice the prices. Wine is usually marked up to about two and a half to three times the retail price, which means that a bottle of wine that costs you $10 in a wine store will typically cost $25-30 in a restaurant. Wine by the glass can be even more expensive, with a glass of fairly ordinary wine selling for the same price as a bottle of wine in your local supermarket.

Those mega wine lists are organized into categories–red, white, sparkling, dessert wines, etc. Sometimes restaurants divide their categories into subdivisions, listing various varietals under one heading. This can be helpful if you know what you like, but since such lists rarely go into detail about where their Chardonnay came from, it can also be extra confusing.

It can be a bad sign if the list is dominated by the “top ten” in wineries–with more than a few selections from the same place.

Once you’ve decided what kind of wine you want, look for region and not varietal on the list. You can consult vintage charts (available in any wine store, published in the wine magazines, included in the basic books) and use them to help you make your choice. Understand that red wine will be pricier than white wine.

Don’t whine if you select an unfamiliar wine and you don’t like it. That’s all part of the wine-drinking experience.

Finally, you can avoid the wine list hassle altogether and simply bring pre-selected wine from home. Most restaurants will charge a “corkage” fee for this privilege (usually around $20). It’s considered a nice gesture to offer some of your wine to the Sommelier.

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