Restaurant - Waiter pouring etiquette

WINE TALK
21

+100

I was at one restaurant where the waiter told me that he was instructed by the owner that he had to pour. After saying this, I smiled and said I understood and let him know that I didn’t want more than 1/4 in the wine glass at any time. It worked out well for both of us.

22

If there is a circumstance in which I prefer to pour my the wine myself, it would make for a very interesting conversation if they flat out refused to allow me to do so.

23

Attitudes like that are probably why I read not so infrequent posts about issues at restaurants while it is an extremely rare occurence for me.

If you don’t want a qualified somm to do his job, stay home or go to a pizzeria.

24

Attitude like what? Do you really need a somm to pour your own glass? You must have a Somm at home. Lol
You come off so snobby.
Pizza and wine, yumm! Score!

25

I mean; I think it depends on the situation. If you’re drinking one bottle with dinner, it’s different than if you have multiple bottles and sets of stems. I haven’t had an issue with somms at any restaurants I’ve been to, Michelin 3 star or otherwise, as I’ll generally tell them exactly what I want and it’s very little work for them. At most tasting menu places with corkage we’ll bring a bottle of nice champagne and buy a half bottle or glasses of red from the list and I’ll tell them the plan when I arrive and haven’t ever had a problem.

I imagine most somms have much more difficult guests than knowledgeable people who have a clear idea of what they want.

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[rofl.gif] [thumbs-up.gif]

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I’ve witnessed somms basically murdering corks. I’ve seen somms who clearly have no clue how to handle an aged wine. I’ve heard too many stories of somms who take exceedingly generous sample “tastes.” I’m not cool with any of that — super duper kudos to you if you are down with that. High five. Way to go. I bow before ye obsequiously. Next time you take a crap, have one of your servants catch some and send it to me — I could use something that smells like roses.

29

You’re a newer member, so I understand that you probably don’t know I’ve previously caught slack for drinking Roumier and DRC with pizza. So you’re barking up the wrong tree there.

I don’t “need” a somm to pour my own glass. It’s called etiquette at Michelin starred restaurants.

Your at home comment is ridiculous.

As far as “attitude like what”, if you need to ask…

30

Brian,

I’ll ignore the majority of your asinine post, but tell me which Michelin starred restaurants whose somms have murdered your corks and taken exceedingly large tastes.

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Now this is getting exciting [popcorn.gif]

1 Like
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This guy thinks he’s all that. Such a snob. Look guys I drink drc with pizza. Im so cool! What a dweeb.
Tough guy on the internet.

33

Ray when I read your post I knew you were referring to Michelin starred restaurants or equivalents. Not everyone has the luxury, for me it is at least a 200 mile drive. It’s sad that you don’t realize that, but I doubt you give a damn.

34

Tom,

Read the posts prior to mine. Once you do, you will realize I wasn’t the one who brought up Michelin starred restaurants. But I’m sure you won’t give a damn.

35

DRC with pizza- is that equivalent to the Sideways movie where he drinks cheval blanc at the burger joint?

36

For almost 20 years, as I migrated from wine forum to wine forum, the story that dogged me most was a post on alt.food.wine about drinking Mouton with pizza in the fraternity house one night. Ray- you out-balled me after all this time, and I never even knew until tonight!

Back to the issue at hand- and in defense of Ray’s comments- there is a big difference between service at a Michelin starred restaurant and everywhere else. Sommeliers and wine stewards in the former know how and when to pour because- as with everyone else on duty- they pay keen attention to the guests and their behaviors. To disrupt their service is, even if unintended, an insult to their skills and can send a bad message to other diners.

As for the OP’s question- another vote here for, in your average restaurant, for thanking the server for pouring the wine out and discreetly saying that the table will handle pours going forward since everyone is going to have different things they want to drink etc. I have no problem saying this in most settings because, as the OP noted in his comment about bottles going down fast, the main reason waiters top up wine glasses frequently and indiscriminately is to sell more wine. They have this drilled into them by management just as a trained Sommelier at a Michelin restaurant knows to do nothing of the kind.

37

Yong - I think you are going down the wrong path here. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and dine with Ray several times. He is a gentleman, and one of the most generous individuals with his wines of any large collector that I have ever met. He is in no way a snob, or a mean-spirited tough guy on the internet.

This all seems like a simple case of the written word being taken out of context or meaning.

Back to the original point of the thread, I hate when a waiter fast pours. I’m guessing we have all experienced it at one point or another. I simply ask them to slow down the pours.

38

I’m not a foodie, so I am most interested in drinking what I like with what I feel like eating. Pizza and a cult cab or first growth Bordeaux is a great combination to me. To each their own.

Now the thing that really bothered me about that scene was drinking it out of a styrofoam cup! Now that is sacrilege. :grinning:

39

R@y means “Welcome to the board!” [pwn.gif] [berserker.gif]

R@y, I’m stuck at why I should care who is sitting next to me and why it should affect my choices at all…

As an aside, totally unrelated, of course… just in case… if I’m ever sitting next to you at a restaurant, say, I expect those around me to pay my bill. neener

I pour for myself, and usually my table, and make it clear as the wine is being opened. I also almost always offer to share.

40

Plenty of times where I tell the staff that I or my group will pour the wines. I have gone so far as to put the wine back in my bag to keep them off of it. Also to hold the temperature. I know what I want to drink and when. And I have had EMP screw up the wine service.