Restaurant Wine Service

Restaurant Servers’ Damn Guide to Serving Wine
Yea, this is for the readers who work in a restaurant and have had a question about proper wine service. It is definitely one of the service issues that can be pushed aside when a manager or trainer does not have a complete grasp on it themselves, or might concentrate the training mostly on food service and forget about beverage service.

The worst case scenario is a new server with out much wine training or knowledge, just getting the bottle that was ordered and giving it the old college try at the table. The bottle could go between the legs for leverage, no taste is poured for the host, and the cork ends up split in half and quickly hid in the servers’ pocket out of embarrassment. This could go unnoticed by the restaurant manager at a busy establishment, and the server just crosses their fingers that no more smucks order wine by the bottle. Hell, not presenting the wine list can take care of that sometimes.


Not all servers have to be able to dance all around the wine list and go into detail about vintage highlights or grape varietal origins, but opening a bottle properly at a table and following service etiquette is a must. As a server, it is as important as serving from the left and clearing from the right, just basic stuff, practice makes perfect. The upcoming list looks like a lot of steps but are accomplished in about a minute, and if you are not serving tables in a restaurant then these are the steps you should expect your server to go thru when bringing out and pouring that $40 bottle of vino.

Stand to the right of the host (the host will be the reference used for the person ordering the wine) present the bottle to him or her with the label facing up, and verbalize the producer, wine variety and vintage.

Example of the first step would be, “Sir the 1998, McIlroy Merlot you ordered.” While showing him the label.

If the wine list by chance had listed the “97″ vintage then this would be the guest and servers chance to discuss the issue. If there was a communication error and the guest really wanted the Chardonnay this would be the time to correct the mistake.

Using the knife on a waiter’s corkscrew, remove the capsule from the top of the bottle, preferably under the glass lip on the bottle.

Place the capsule in your pocket.

Use a clean napkin (hopefully the one draped over your forearm) to wipe any deposits from the top of the cork before you remove it.

Remove the cork from the bottle.

Place the cork to the right of the host for his or her inspection.

This is when the host may look for any damage to the cork like mold on the inside, wine seepage all the way thru the cork, or a cork that is completely dried out. If any of these are present, there is a possibility that there is a problem with the wine.

Wipe the inside of the neck of the bottle to remove any deposits or cork particles that may be there.

Pour a taste of wine for the host, about 1-oz.

Stand back one step, while holding the bottle with the label facing out while the host smells and tastes the wine.

When the host approves of the wine (about 97% of the time), begin to pour each of the guests.

Pour for the guest immediately to the left of the host and then proceed clockwise around the table. Women should be poured first and pouring should continue clockwise until all women are poured, and then another lap to pour the men, always ending with the host.

When pouring a white wine, fill the glass a little under 2/3 full. With red wine the glass should be filled a little under half way, leaving enough room for some good wine swirling.

A standard 750 ml bottle of wine holds 25.4 oz. Know the size in ounces of your restaurant’s wine glasses so that you can properly judge how much to pour for larger parties.

Always fill the host’s glass last. This gives the host a chance to order another bottle as the first gets low or empty.

Place the partially full bottle of wine, either in the ice bucket to the right of the host, unless the table doesn’t permit it due to size, then the center of the table is fine. Red wine directly on table with the label facing the center of the table.

Immediately remove any empty bottles from the table and the wine bucket that it was in.

As the meal proceeds, keep your guests wine glasses approximately half full.

The host and guests should not have to ask you to pour more wine, keep an eye on the wine, and the guests should never have to pour their own wine.

Use a new wine glass if you serve a second bottle from a different producer or a different varietal.

All done.

So in a nutshell you have presentation, remove capsule, wipe, remove cork, place cork on table, wipe, pour taste, wait for nod, pour everyone, set bottle on table, bamm, off to next table.

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