When you see the wanna be wine snob reject a bottle, I’ve never considered asking the sommelier to allow me the chance to try it.
I have recommended, on more than one occassion when some of my friends ITB ask what to do with a perfectly good wine that was rejected, that the restaurant just pour the bottle by the glass as that night’s “special”. And I wish more restaurants, when a bottle is INCORRECTLY refused (i.e. not flawed but someone stupidly declared it unfit) did this. Imagine the excitement of being in a restaurant, striking up a conversation with the sommelier and have him mention, once realizing you are a true wine lover, “hey, we’re pouring the 1981 Penfold’s Grange by the glass for tonight only for $25, can I interest you in a bit?”.
Man I’d be at the restaurant a lot, not only because obviously they have some stuff on the list I’d like, but the chance at the lottery. To get that one glass of DRC, that one glass of something you’d never be able to buy by the bottle, and is only sold that way everywhere… your dream glass now in a one glass portion that you can afford.
Anyone else have this feeling of turning a bad situation (they rejected the La Turque) into a great win “sir, that’s fine, we’ll get you a glass of the Yellow Tail.” The sommelier then turns around, hands the great bottle to someone on the staff with a “psssst put this behind the bar, we’re pouring it by the glass for the first time!”