So recently I had an excellent meal at the North End Grill in Battery Park city. Outstanding seafood - I had the Sea Bass which was complex and delicate. The wine selection is also quite good. I had the Montée de Tonnerre from Jean Collet which was mineral, citrus and balanced if a bit on the lighter side. Never had a wine from the domaine before.
After tasting the wine, the sommelier started pouring for the people at the table. Unfortunately he poured into my glass that was a little less than a third full with a different white from Juillot - bourgogne. An honest mistake not a big deal but it got me to thinking - What do you expect to be done about this? I just enjoyed the mix - a bit odd but it was ok. On the other hand if you paid a lot for the wine and wasted a glass should I get something off on the wine? Should a new bottle be opened? Not sure. Anyone with an experience like this?
My preferred method for handling this situation is to try to place my hand over glass without any warning and yell, “Yo! Dude! What the f*ck!!!??” and then see where it goes from there.
In all seriousness, however, when I’ve had it happen, I just smile and go with the flow because it usually only involves the low end of a glass of wine that the server is trying to keep adequately filled. I am very soft on this issue and have never bothered to point it out.
Get up from the table, track the sommelier down & politely explain the mistake. Allow him/her to offer you a solution. If the solution is acceptable, take it. I would be surprised if a professional in a high quality restaurant wouldn’t try their best to make it right.
Did you let him or her know the mistake that had been made? I would have let them know, then probably asked what they would do if a similar situation happened to them by another somm at another restaurant. I would love to hear their answer
Yes I let him know right away - he just looked embarrassed and sheepishly apologized. No offer to rectify.
Wine was reasonable for a New York restaurant so I did not make a big stink about it. On the other hand what if it was Montrachet or a Leflaive Batard. I think I would have a bigger issue at that point. Not sure what I would expect - at least the price knocked down or a new bottle is what I’m thinking.
I don’t think he is the main somm, but the main one on duty that day. No offer - just apologized. I feel like I should have said something to get comped but I think it is their duty to offer something.
He f*cked up and he should have offered you something…plain and simple. It’s his job to know what is in each glass. The classy thing to do would have been to comp the bottle.
I did that once many moons ago working in a restaurant with a big list. Luckily, it was a medium priced bottle of Pinot Noir I was pouring, and what little was left in the glass was just another similarly priced Pinot Noir they had ordered first. I just instinctly grabbed the glass off the table (only a couple ounces were gone from the new bottle), got her a clean glass and comped the first bottle.
IMO, restaurants mark the bottles up enough to handle situations like this. It’s part of paying the premium, it should be a two way street. I’d have no problem pointing it out. If they didn’t offer to do something, I’d have to figure out if everything involved (money, wine, people) compelled me to make a stink about it. If it didn’t, it would weigh heavily the next time I was considering a meal at the establishment. Too many other places that deserve my business!
My dad did this once - I think he poured BV GdL cabernet into my partial glass of Sea Smoke. Not the most successful blend, but what are you going to do?
At a restaurant, I might or might not make an issue of it, depending on the wines and the situation. Certainly, the restaurant ought to do something for you if you raise it. Probably give you a glass of a comparable wine, or maybe take something off the bill.
I think you handled it well. No need to get all New York about it. And I agree with the others that the restaurant should have offered you something. The guy was obviously out of his league - he was embarrassed and unsophisticated enough to know that he should do something. That’s training and it’s the fault of the restaurant.
But mistakes happen in life and sometimes a mistake is just a mistake and there are no real damages suffered and we don’t need to make someone take the blame and pay us something.
However, it brings up a larger issue. It is yet another reason I NEVER want the restaurant to pour my wine. I don’t want them to put the soup on my spoon, the venison tenderloin on my fork, or the wine in my glass. The idea that they have to keep the glasses filled is obnoxious in the extreme. So the first rule of fine dining is to tell the servers/somms to keep their hands off the wine once it’s opened.
The way I learned that was once when I really hated a wine and had poured mine into someone else’s glass the waitress came over to refill the glasses. I covered mine with my hand and she poured the wine on my hand. Curious, I looked at her face. “WTF?”, I asked politely. She was totally embarrassed and didn’t touch the bottles again. Now it’s the rule.
I agree with Greg: I would not have made a big deal about it, would not have expected a full bottle recompense, but any gestures the restaurant made would be noted and appreciated, and ditto the reverse.
- a bit odd but it was ok. On the other hand if you paid a lot for the wine and wasted a glass should I get something off on the wine? Should a new bottle be opened? Not sure. Anyone with an experience like this?