Wine 101: How to navigate a restaurant wine list

Wine lists at restaurants can be daunting. Some high-tech versions are offered on a tablet or iPad while others seem to be as thick as a copy of “War and Peace.”

With my Wine 101 column, I aim to share what I know about wine to make it less intimidating and more of an adventure.

Today I’ll walk you through a wine list and offer a handful of tips, so you’ll feel completely at ease anytime you’re at a restaurant.

Studying the list

To begin, you’ll want to ask for the wine list right when your server hands you a menu. This will give you ample time to explore it.

Once you have the wine list in your hands, size it up. How is it organized? How are the wines categorized and how are they arranged within each category? Does the restaurant organize the list by country, with subdivisions by wine region?

Some lists, coined “progressive,” might offer chardonnays by weight and richness, from lightest to most dense. Other lists could be categorized by wine styles rather than by region or varietal. For example, one section might be “full-bodied intense reds.” A traditional organization might be: Champagne and sparkling wine, dry white wines, dry red wines and dessert wines.

Regardless of the overall organization, all wine lists should offer this information: the region (i.e., Sonoma Valley), the appellation (i.e. Carneros), the name of the winery (i.e. Roederer), the vintage (i.e. 2021) and the price.

If you don’t think the wine list is offering you enough information, it’s time to tap the sommelier (or wine expert, pronounced “sum-mel-YAY”). A sommelier is tasked with knowing the wine list and answering any question you might have.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, keep this in mind: Restaurants typically charge up to three times the wholesale price. Some restaurants even charge five to six times their cost. If you’re wondering if a price is too high, use your smartphone to check a wine’s website for a bottling’s suggested retail (not wholesale) price.

Wine by the glass

There should be several wines offered by the glass on a wine list, but perhaps not many. These wines might be less complex than the bottles of wine on the list, but don’t dismiss them. As for the price, you can do your research on them, as well. Each glass is approximately one-fifth of an entire bottle.

It’s fair to ask how the uncorked bottles of these wines by the glass are stored. The answer you’ll be hoping to hear is that the restaurant has some sort of wine-preservation system that injects inert gas into open bottles to displace oxygen or some other gadget to protect the leftover wine from air. At the very least, you’ll want to hear that the restaurant is corking these bottles tightly, keeping them out of sunlight and refrigerating them (ideally, white wines at 45 degrees and reds at 55 degrees).

Uncorking a bottle

If you order a bottle, the sommelier will uncork it in front of you and ask someone at the table to taste and approve it before he pours it.

Usually, the taster is the person who ordered the wine, but not always. Once the taster approves the wine, the sommelier will fill the other glasses first and finish by pouring wine into the taster’s glass.

Defects

If a wine has a defect, don’t hesitate to ask the sommelier to replace it. Defects could range from smoke taint (i.e., an ashy taste) to oxidation (i.e., notes of vinegar or a woody, toffee smell) to reduction (i.e., rubber, sulfur notes).

Bringing your own bottle

If you have a stocked cellar, you may want to bring a bottle to a restaurant. If you do, there are two things to keep in mind.

First, the proper thing to do is to call the restaurant in advance and make sure the bottle you plan to bring is not on the wine list.

Second, be prepared to pay a corkage fee for bringing your own bottle. This fee typically ranges from $10 to $40.

The great exploration

Navigating wine lists will get easier over time, but mastering them is not the goal. On the contrary, the more familiar you become with wine lists, the more comfortable you’ll be with exploring the unknown. Becoming even more curious about exotic varietals from lesser-known regions — now that’s a good goal.

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.