How to order at a wine bar
What to say, how to say it, and feeling confident while doing it.
There’s a trendy new wine bar that just opened up in your neighborhood and you finally get in and see the menu:
Everything is in French and you’re not even sure if it’s a grape or a place or even wine. The server has already come for the 2nd time and you feel pressured to make a decision but you still don’t know what to get.
Ordering at wine bars is stressful when you’re still figuring out your taste.
What’s the last wine you enjoyed?
Think of everything you liked about it, the more information, the better. What color was it? Any tasting notes (light/bold, acidic, specific fruit or flavor, dry/sweet)?
Chat with the server about what wine you’ve liked in the past and what you liked about it.
Prompts for you based on your mood and knowledge:
Level 1 (no idea what you want)
“I’m open to recommendations for a wine bottle/glass under _____ (price range).”
Level 2 (general idea)
“I’m looking for a _______ (red/natural/orange/white/sparkling) wine bottle/glass under _______ (price range).”
Level 3 (good idea)
“I’m looking for a _______ (red/natural/orange/white/sparkling) wine bottle/glass with _______ (tasting note), under ______ (price range).”
Experimental / No budget
“I'm looking for a bottle/glass of wine and want to trying something new, what have you been liking recently?”
Example: I’m looking for a juicy red wine bottle, off-dry, with dark fruit notes under $$.
As for me, I love drier, jammy, fresh red wines with dark fruit notes (like a Beaujolais). For whites, I prefer punchy, acidic white wines with stone fruit notes (like a Sancerre).
This is an open dialogue between you and the server so they can learn about you and what you like, even if its one or two descriptors. This can even be unrelated to wine (“I’m feeling something moody and fruity.”) Have fun with it and see where they take you.
Sampling
Every respectable wine bar (if they sell by the glass) lets you sample at least 1 or 2 wines before buying a glass. Servers don’t want to serve you something you don’t like. Try different styles so you can cover your bases.
You shouldn’t ask to sample more than 2 or a wine only sold by the bottle.
Take mental notes on what you did/didn’t like about them. Too light/bold? Too little/high acid? Too dry/sweet? Just plain weird?
Worst case, you didn’t like any and you can ask them to suggest something new after letting them know why you didn’t like the samples, the wild-card pick.
Do I look cheap if I ask about price?
Don’t feel self-conscious about telling a server your price range when considering buying a glass or bottle. Unless you’re balling and carte blanche, a server knowing your budget helps narrow in on something to suggest.
Nothing kills a good night than seeing a final bill you can barely afford.
Frugal Tip: If you and a friend expect to drink at least 2 glasses of wine per person, it’s cheaper, more enjoyable, and you get more by buying a bottle even if you don’t finish it (a typical 750 ml bottle holds a little more than 5 glasses of wine).
What is a wine bar, anyway?
People are drinking less and more conscientiously, interested in curating a proper night out. Wine bars are becoming the new third space, a perfect meeting ground that’s not as formal as a restaurant or as sticky and casual as a dive. Small bites, good ambiance, slightly elevated vibe, and the perfect place to people watch.
My neighborhood wine bar you can find me at is Judy’s with a nice rotating wine list and reasonable prices by the bottle. Another I enjoyed recently is Black Mountain Wine House who serve wine the right way, like the Italians, selling half bottles (carafes) and affordable house wines that are actually good.
Appreciate you if you made it this far. See you next time.
One of my friends made https://www.winefind.ai/ which helps with this. Take a picture of the menu and it will analyze the wines and prices (you can see mark ups, ratings, nose, palate, etc and keep track of what you liked in the past).