Wine Rituals
The Bacchanal Vol 1
For PorkChop and the RomanPriestess, an Old Man and Mic
he brought us wine. a forgetting of our sadnesses. He, a god himself is poured out in honor of the gods. Through that holy wine we win their favor. ~Euripedes The Bacchae
When I serve a to guests dinner, buy a bottle at a great restaurant, BYOB at a favorite place or even open a bottle on a quiet night I have a ritual. There has been a lot noise around look at these ******* wine snobs on twitter. Yet they Non-Bacchantes do not understand wine or ritual. The ritual has the important result of getting the wine you ordered and making sure it is not corked or spoiled. King Pentheus of Thebes was torn limb from limb for disrespecting the ritual of Bacchus by the Bacchae, while we need not fear the gods, the ritual of wine and its celebration has been long respected.
Ritual is a means of both the restaurant and diner to show mutual respect. There is a spectrum between enjoyer of wine and connoisseur and connoisseur and snob. Most people going through the wine ritual are trying to show respect for the restaurant and makings sure they got the right bottle and a good one.
At a high caliber restaurant and even lesser restaurants there is an expectation of wine being of good to exceptional quality and with a range of price. The wine ritual is important for a few reasons. The Sommelier or wine steward has to know a bit about every wine and what foods it will pair with. Also, Wine Staff has to maintain a cellar that is stocked and will move bottles. Cellars are an investment and they have to make money, all liquor is taxed heavily at restaurants and cellar require liquor license, staff , space temperature control and insurance, etc. They have to ensure quality as many patrons care about the wine as much as the food, a bad wine experience can cost valuable cliental to a restaurant.
People are buying wine appreciate wine presentation like food presentation and care is appreciated by the diner. The first step often missed is selection, often I have not drank the wines at a restaurant. A conversation with the Sommelier is a good place to start, this starts with introductions so you are on a first name basis. I like regions and certain flavors in wine with certain foods, because of this I am often given a wine list to select. With this responsibility comes the following requirements, knowing what the person at the table is willing to pay, for business diners I go middle of the road on prices to lower price since I actually think this is where the value is. We discuss what we may all be ordering white vs red preference ( I am usually getting one bottle of each if we order more I note what people drank and liked.) If it is only to be one bottle it is best to go with the majority. If it is a waiter who does not know the wine list politely ask for someone who does. Wine always can lead to a fun and educational discussion. This applies for everyone buying by the glass as rarely have do we know the list as well as those who procure wine. Wine Staff and waiters at the restaurant are going to do their best deserve a lot of respect. If the wine is offered by the glass many and one is open the server or Sommelier might offer to bring a small sample. This helps as you know what you are getting before you order and if you want to order a different second bottle or get someone a glass of something different.
Once the wine is selected the Sommelier will bring the bottle. He will display the bottle label out and ask if this is what you ordered, which is important. Sometimes he will let you know that the vintage has changed, or an alternate that he recommends if they are out of a certain bottle. If you are paying for a bottle you want to be sure that you are getting what you paid for. Then the Sommelier usually clean cuts the foil so that the bottle looks nice, I am 100% for non-sloppy service. Then he will pull the cork, you want a nice clean cork pull, so showing this that the cork comes out clean and without falling apart is important because tainted wine often occurs via a failed cork. The cork is then passed for inspection to show it is intact and for a quick smell to see if you smell the wine is off. The cork should only have stain near the bottom only if there is a good seal, it should not be crumbling or rotten. If there is a problem with appearance or cork you should discuss things with the Sommelier, as he can determine at this point if this is a servable bottle .
A small portion is poured. Now the swirl. This is for a quick aeration and to open up the wine. The wine acts with air and changes in flavor most prefer aeration. Also it is nice to look a the color of the wine to see if is brown or rusty or has particulates. (Older bottles can have this issue if the cork did not seal properly.) Again you may want to bring this up to the Sommelier if there is a problem as he can determine at this point if this is a servable bottle.
Then it the diner should smell the wine and see if there is anything wrong with the aroma then a nice taste. This is not to sample the wine for flavor but more for quality. Wine changes during the experience, I have sent back two tainted bottles, wrong labels a few times (PREUNCORKING) , and none because they were a little different what I expected. Wine by the glass if it tastes oxidized can be sent back. Most often happens at the beginning of the night, early diners may receive last nights wine which may be oxidized. I have sent back I think one glass that had been opened too long, but if this is happing every glass it is just you are being a little picky. I use Vin Vac vaccum seals so we don’t have to finish all the wine we open this stops oxidation and lets you drink a bottle over a couple days.
Some restaurants will decant and aerate you can discuss with the Sommelier about these options. Older wines are nice decanted also big steak house reds often get a boost from Aeration or decanting. My decanter is a gift from my friend Linda.
I have an ice buckets for whites. My wine chiller is a huge farm coffee pot from my Great Grandmother Margret Fergal. I have a beverage fridge and a drinks shelf in my main fridge so I can chill whites or get reds down to service temp. I like whites 45 to 50 F and Reds at 65–70 F.
Do I do these rituals at diner parties, YES. I often have a few bottles I am choosing from and people bring bottles. While I select bottles I expect, sometimes a friend brings a Burgundy or a Chablis which they hope you open that night. At home there is always red and white. I find not being married to what will be served that night allows for a good wine experience. People who like wines like to know what is poured and it is better to test the wine before filling everyone's glass.
I do most these things when I am opening a glass of wine just to have a glass. Even a bottle of summer wine that is just for refreshment, I may not do it in front of everyone but I am not about to serve tainted bottle. Every vintage can have an off bottle and people can have a very bad experience from a bad gulp of wine.
Not all cork failure are wine failures, so if the wine is ok I decant via a strainer, but never serve a tainted wine. I also decant old wines to keep sediment out of peoples glasses.
Good stem wear, at restaurants this is taken care of a good guide below to glass wear. I have glasses that are good for white and reds. Also I have Champagne coupes as I prefer the to flutes
I find wine by the glass is good for beginners and flight at wine bars. Flights are restaurants and wine bar are good too. Tasting more wines will increase your understanding. Wine should not be forced upon people, so I always ask if people at the table want any thing other than wine. Often at a big table you have a non-drinker, a guy that wants a G&T or a beer. I think nice glassware is good for this crowd too.
A faux pas to be avoided is complaining about the Sommelier's kit, they may open 100+ bottle of wine so it they want to use an electric cork screw let them. If you do it your way at home that is your way at home.
Briefly talking procurement, first set your price range and size of your cellar. I am buying mostly at 15–20 although three are a few 8 dollar bottles and 30 dollar bottles in my collection. Note restaurants are at ~ 4X store price so these are 60 to 100 dollar bottles at a restaurant. I keep about a 60 bottle float. Store in the most temperature stable part of your house. I usually try a bottle and go back for more. It is hard to clear out the bottles you don’t like and I don’t have enough enemies who invite me to parties to dispose of them. I use vivino and recommendation from staff at liquor stores. Note if you find wine staff at stores who taste you agree with be nice to them as they will let you know discount bottles that are a steal. Just be nice to people who help you get wine.
