Go Ahead, Call Over the Sommelier

I had an interesting conversation the other night about using the sommelier in a restaurant. My wife told me that although she is a very sophisticated diner and wine drinker, she has never called upon the sommelier. Most of her friends, and most "normal" diners are probably the same way, she said. The notion of a sommelier is completely foreign to most people and I dare say most people don't even know there is one at most good restaurants and how/when they should be called upon.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the whole process of finding the right wine for dinner by working with the sommelier. I think most people assume the sommelier will always steer them into buying something expensive or intimidate them with overly technical winespeak. The best of sommeliers behave in exactly the opposite manner, but need some basic information from you to give you good service.

If you call over the sommelier, he/she will first need to know the budget you're comfortable with. If you are in a crowd where you want to be discreet, you don't have to say "something under $50" outloud, you can point to a fifty dollar bottle on the list and tell the sommelier that's the level you're comfortable with. Instead of steering you in the direction of something more expensive, most sommeliers will delight in finding you something they think will pair well with your meal that is under your high mark. You need to tell the sommelier what you're planning to picking as your food choices and if possible what kind of wine you gravitate towards.

Your wine preferences may be articulated in great detail, i.e., "I like earthy reds with little oak, preferably something organic" or  simply "at  home I would probably pick a New Zealand white". Your sommelier should be able to get the clues of what wines you gravitate towards and pick out something within your budget. Of course, the adventurous will often be most rewarded if the sommelier is simply given a budget and asked to pick the wines. Sometimes the sommelier will take this opportunity to go off the list and grab something that is maybe a vintage older and due to short supply has been taken off the list. Or she/he will take the opportunity to share an allocated wine that is too small for the list.

I've also been asked if it's appropriate to ask for the sommelier if you're buying by the glass. My general reaction is yes, if it's a pretty varied list of wines by the glass, especially if most are over $10. Wines by the glass have the biggest profit margins for the restaurant, and few people get just one glass for a normal multi-course meal, so most sommeliers would be delighted to pick out wines for you.

One other perplexing situation arises when you see a list like A16's for instance. You can know a whole lot about wine, but chances are you're not an expert at Southern Italian wines. If you're slightly intimidated by a list like that, don't assume the sommelier is going to be equally intimidating. In this case, Shelley Lindgren or most of the very well trained staff will gladly ask you a few questions about what you like and your budget and guide you into something new, exciting, and a perfect foil for your food.

One final thought is about the delicate subject around corkage policy and using the sommelier. I'm not sure I have it completely down, but here's my take on appropriate behavior. First, bring special wines to drink. Don't bring something cheap just to save a couple of bucks. As a rule of thumb, especially in newly opened restaurants, I bring wines that are at least 10 years old for the most part, or if it's a white, something 4 or 5 years old and special (i.e., either expensive, rare or meaningful in some other way. New restaurants often don't have wines with much age on it, and if you want to drink newly released Nebbiolo, it's OK to bring something older.

Don't expect real sommelier service unless the wines are old and need decanting or they have a potentially difficult cork. If it's super special, and you're friendly, you can offer a taste to the sommelier and this will often make you a new friend and gain the respect of the sommelier even though you're potentially making him/her less money in the long run. If they are cool, chances are you'll come back and explore their list more fully next time. 

(Image is from the excellent Irving Penn exhibit I saw last week in LA at the Getty)

Comments

[corkdork]

Hi David,

I sent you an email, but it does look like K&L is your best bet for the 2008 vintage. 2007 seem a bit scarce now.

[David Eichorn]

John, I'd like to find a bottle of Schild Barossa Valley Shiraz '07. Any ideas where I might find it, and have you tried it?
David Eichorn 510/524-9473