Wine Information

I'm a server In need of wine knowledge to move up into fine dining establishments?

I have almost no knowledge of wines... whether they are red, white, dry, etc... Is there anywhere on the internet That breaks down the major types of wines, whether they are red white etc., and what foods go best with them? And I need some help with wine service. THANKS

Public Comments

1. red wines are good with meat, white wines are good with chicken and fish. i think whites also tend to be a bit sweeter. beyond that, i can't offer much help.
2. Winecyclopedia looks like a good website: http://www.bottlenotes.com/wine-clubs/winecyclopedia.aspx I suggest you go to your local library and take out some books on wine tasting. The book that really got me excited about wine was a thin little book written by Oz Clarke, called "Oz Clarke's Introducing wine". Simply written and very descriptive, it will help you a lot. If you can't find that, look for one of his other introductory books on wine. Also, "Great Wine made simple" by Andrea Immer is another book that I found really helpful. I hope it helps, and I hope they will make you into a wine lover, such as myself.
3. Your local mass market book seller should have a large section dedicated to information exactly like you seek. Beyond the reading, I would recommend trying as many wines as you can as often as possible. Have the bartender pour you just a little taste (like 1 oz) of all your "by the glass" selections. That way you can begin to see how all the wines differ and what each on is kind of like. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you personally have. You will learn by comparison. Try wines at home too. Even cheap bottles (<$5) can teach you about wines and the characters of each varietal. For a quick cheat sheet: Whites (by most common types) Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Grigio (or Pinot Gris, same grape) Riesling Chenin Blanc Gewertztraminer All these wines can pair with light meats, some pastas, and many vegetable dishes Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Zinfandel Pinot Noir Syrah Malbec Cabernet Franc Sangiovese Cab, Merlot, and Syrah pair well with red meats as can Zinfandel. Pinot Noir is very versatile, but generally too light bodied for beef. Goes well with grilled white meats, smoked fish. Sangiovese is great with red pastas (it's Chianti if from Italy). The others are too obscure to worry about. When presenting a wine, first make sure the customer has the proper glass if your restaurant has more than one. Reds usually go in a larger glass with more of an inverted dome shape. White in a smaller glass with straighter sides. Present the bottle to the person that ordered it so they can confirm it is the wine they ordered (mistakes happen). They should check for winery, year produced, and grape varietal. If they agree, cut the foil at the neck just below the top of the bottle (there should be a little ridge in the glass as a guide) using the small blade on your corkscrew. Now, plunge the tip of the screw straight into the center of the cork and begin to screw it down until about 1 turn of the screw is exposed. Lever out the cork by putting the lever of the screw against the lip of the bottle. Twist off the cork and present it also to the person that ordered so they can confirm it is in good shape. (a damaged cork might indicate a damaged wine). Present a small taste to the person that ordered and let them confirm for you that the wine is OK. We aren't talking preference here to see if they like it. It is merely a confirmation that the wine has no defects. Imagine letting the customer open bottle after bottle until they find one they like!! You'd be broke in a day. Anyway, if they are happy with the wine, pour everyone at the table who wishes to have a glass, starting with the ladies, and coming back to the person that ordered last. Place the bottle down in front of the person that ordered. Never fill a wine glass more than the point where the side of the glass begins to taper inward on itself. Good luck.
4. Wine is unbelievably complicated, but it can be simplified. If you literally know nothing about wine, then get Wine for Dummys. Sounds silly, but that is a really good place to start. It will tell you the difference between dry and sweet wines, how climate, region and soil affect the wine, grape varietals, etc. Once you have that basic knowledge, then you can move on to more complicated stuff. Probably the best place to start is to check out the wine lists of the fine dining restaurants you are interested in, and then Google the names of the wines. You will probably get the vineyard's website, but more likely you will get dozens of wine reviews and tasting notes. If you really want to impress your prospective employer, subsribe to Wine Spectator Magazine. If you want to "sample" it before you commit to subscription, you can pick up a copy at the bookstore when you get your Wine for Dummys book. The thing to remember is that, because wine can be so complicated, most customers are intimidated by it. Your job as a server is to make it less initimidating and fun. Yes, FUN. Wine is so fascinating, and the servers who are enthusiastic have the highest wine sales. I worked in a restaurant where the top wine selling server was a recovering alcoholic, so he never touched or tasted it. He got all his sales info from the internet, and from smelling and swirling the wine. Chances are the restaurants you will be looking at will have a predominantly California wine list, but make sure you have some basic knowledge for French, German and Italian wines, as a smattering of South American, Spanish and Australian.
5. There's some great stuff here already. Like one poster said, I always prefer the fun aspect to the stuffy aspect. If you're passionate, you will be successful. I found myself in a similar position about ten years ago. This is what I did. I bought "Wine for Dummies." Despite the title, it is a great introduction to wine. I bought several of the popular wine types (whether Chardonnay from new world or white Burgundies, inexpensive of course) to taste so I could begin understanding the wines. I've found that tasting and reading at the same time to be the most effective way to get knowledge. It only took a couple of weeks to get enough knowledge to discuss the basic and most common wines sought by US consumers (Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Merlot, Cab Sauv., and Pinot Noir) with a bit of knowledge on place and history. From a server wine sales position, these are the bricks and you need to know these at the very least. Moving beyond the basics takes a lot more work and will not likely be gotten in a short period. I actually bought the Encyclopedia of Wine and studied every wine that I served so I could be passingly familiar with it in the future. Also, learning how to "palm" the last sip so you can try in the walk in is a great trick. As far as service, an earlier poster had good comments. A few more that will make you look very polished: 1) Whenever possible, approach the taster from the taster's right. Also, pour from the customer's right with the right hand. If this is not possible, pour from the left with the left hand. The important part is to never present your elbow to someone. 2) When cutting the foil, do not spin the bottle. Keep the label facing the customer being served at all times. As a side note, practice pouring so you do not dribble. There's a simple gentle flick of the wrist that usually helps. It's not always possible to prevent, so you should have a side towel wrapped around the neck to prevent even a small drop from landing in the wrong place, like a customer's bald spot (seen it happen). 3) When pulling the cork, it should be silent. 4) After the cork is pulled place it on a side plate for inspection. There's a lot of mythology around this practice and the best I've heard is that the customer should check the authenticity of the bottle through the name on the cork. Also, some defects in wine can be noticed in the condition of the cork, but I've found this overrated. Once all the wine is poured, remove the cork. Good luck and I hope you enjoy wine.