The bottle should always be presented to the guest’s left and so that he/she can see the label. All information is presented (spoken) clearly, clearly and confidently.
– uncorking the bottle begins with an incision in the upper part of the capsule. With a small knife on the corkscrew, the capsule is cut, usually under the ring of the neck of the bottle, removed in the sommelier’s pocket or placed on a small saucer prepared in advance for this purpose;
– cleaning the upper part of the neck of the bottle;
– extraction of wine jam. Pull out the wine cork gently, carefully, so as not to break or crush it. The cork must be removed without popping or splashing. The screw part of the corkscrew (sommelier’s knife) should not come out at the opposite end of the cork, so that particles of the crust do not hit the wine;
– evaluation of the traffic jam. Determine whether it does not contain any unpleasant odors;
– placing the crust on a saucer (special plate);
– wiping the upper and inner part of the cork.
Serving wine in a restaurant
The process of serving wine directly depends on the institution itself. In the restaurant, the serving of wine has a recommendatory, educational nature and it starts from the moment of receiving the order. Despite the established basic rules, there is still enough room for improvisation (sommeliers or waiters).
Wine order
The main and not the only criterion is the combination of dishes and wines. If the guest hesitates with the choice, the sommelier or waiter should offer the wine, briefly listing its tasting characteristics. Particular attention should be paid to the color of the wine, its lightness or strength, and the presence of residual sugar. The guest must be informed about the price of the wine offered to him, for this it is enough to indicate the corresponding item on the map.
Preparation for server work
All drinks must be stored in special conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.). Very old collection wines are brought out of the cellar in advance to bring them to the perfect temperature before being served on the table. Before serving the wine, you need to make sure that it has no signs of spoilage (defects).
Preliminary quality control. External signs of poor quality wines include:
– bulging or “collapsing” plug;
– excessively low (shoulder level) level of wine in the bottle;
– the presence of sediment in those bottles where, according to the general rule, it should not be;
– wine opacity;
– streams of wine on the upper part of the bottle (usually on the excise stamp or “collarette”).
Supply temperature
Each wine has its own serving temperature. Nevertheless, general rules can be deduced. It is known that most dry white wines are best served at (11-12°C) and most red wines are best served at (16-17°C).
Serving wine
Several successive stages are distinguished in this process:
Wine review
A bottle of wine is brought into the hall, as a rule, in a cooler (white, champagne, sparkling) or in a special basket (red). The bottle is presented to the guest who ordered the wine: the label is shown, the wine is presented in such a way that it cannot be confused with any other. Indicate: the name of the wine; producer; harvest year; color and type of wine. Additional information (history of wine, production technology, variety or varieties of grapes, etc.) at the request of the guest. It is also appropriate to list the tasting characteristics of the wine.
Common disadvantages of wine
Turbidity. The wine should be transparent, crystal clear. The only excuse for turbidity is if you shook the sediment in old (aged) wine.
Crystals. This is not a vice, but people often think that if there is a sediment of crystals at the bottom of a bottle of wine, then there is something wrong with the wine. It is simply a salt of tartaric acid that falls into a natural sediment.
Acidity. All wines, like all fruits, contain some acid. Without it, they would taste flabby, boring and spoil very quickly. The only excuse for excessive acidity is wines made from unripe or overly high-yielding grapes.
Bitterness. Sometimes, especially in Italy, an admixture of bitterness is an integral part of the wine’s character, as in the case of Amarone della Valpolicella.
Wine with the smell/taste of sulfur. In the process of making wine, sulfur is added, which plays the role of a preservative. However, if too much sulfur is added, the wine acquires an astringent smell of rubber.
“Cork Wine” with smell/taste. This is the most common problem that occurs in 2-5% of bottles. It is caused by a fungus that is sometimes contained in a natural cork, which spoils the wine (it has nothing to do with the pieces of cork that can float in the glass). A wine with such defects has a musty smell and poor fruit notes, although this may not be apparent until it has spent a few minutes in the glass. There is no similar problem in wine with artificial cork and screw caps.
Oxidized wine. “Oxidized” (“oxidized” or “maderized”) is a more widely used term that describes wine that has been exposed to oxygen. Too active contact with oxygen spoils the wine, and eventually turns it into vinegar. Wine can oxidize with improper storage, loose corking, if the wine has been in the bottle for too long after it has been opened.