For Grays, sharing what you and your guests plan to order is the most valuable information. “That’s what’s important: What are you eating?” she says. Since sommeliers know both the wine list and restaurant menu like the back of their hand, understanding what the table has ordered allows them craft pairings. “We want you to have an experience,” Grays says.
Know when to order a glass and when to order a bottle
“Going by the glass is a great way to help shape, define, and cultivate your palate,” Benjamin says. Use a restaurant’s by-the-glass list to dip a toe into unfamiliar wines, regions, and grapes without having to commit to a whole bottle. Then, if and when you’re ready to order a bottle later in your meal, you have a jumping-off point from which you and your sommelier can discuss what you liked and what you didn’t.
Grays says ordering by the glass can help you and your sommelier get on the same page in terms of flavor descriptors. She says if the flavor notes your sommelier spouts off just aren’t making sense, ask for a glass—or even better, a taste. “Words are words, but your palate is a different thing,” she says. “Sometimes you need to taste it.”
Ask what your sommelier is excited about
One thing about sommeliers? They often get excited by a great bottle of wine. Lightly tapping into that wine nerdery puts you on the fast track to an exceptional bottle of wine that you might have otherwise overlooked. Sometimes, Benjamin says, it gets you bottles that haven’t even officially made the wine list. “When you ask and show interest,” he says, “your somm might just bring it up as a courtesy.”
If you’re really hoping to get a sip of an exclusive bottle, Benjamin adds, you’re welcome to ask if the somm has any bottles not listed that they think are worth tasting. “A lot of restaurants will do that,” he says. “Sometimes I may have the wines already [in the wine cellar], and then it may just happen spontaneously.” As is the case with most questions, it never hurts to ask a sommelier.
Price and region aren’t everything
The most expensive wine on the list is not necessarily the best wine you can order. “Price is dictated by demand, but it’s not an indication of quality,” Benjamin says. What’s better than a good bottle of $100 wine? A stupendous bottle of $75 wine. As a sommelier, Benjamin says, “I’m here to provide you with anyone that you want. If it’s a $60 bottle, it’s going to be the best $60 bottle that you’ve had.”
Similarly, Grays says, don’t get reeled into ordering a bottle solely based on its vintage or region. “It may be something you don’t want,” says Grays. Prestige, name recognition, and familiar regions on the label don’t always equate to a wine you’ll love. “We’re still talking about what it is that you want to be drinking,” she says. “And that might be a pinot from Oregon, as opposed to some high-priced thing.”
Don’t be afraid to send your wine back
The somm-diner relationship, Benjamin says, is about openness and honesty. If your first taste of a new bottle reveals that the wine might be corked or otherwise flawed, it’s always appropriate to raise that issue with your sommelier.
The fact is, Benjamin says, whether the wine is in perfect condition or not, it doesn’t taste good to you—and that’s the whole point of this process. “Even if I know for a fact that the wine’s in perfect condition,” he says, “if the table is alluding to the fact that they don’t like the wine—I mean let’s just move on.”