How-To: Get Good Recommendations from your Bartender

When ordering wine to accompany a meal, it can be easy to get a good recommendation from your server. They should know what options on the wine menu pair best with the dishes on the menu. But when you are sitting at a wine bar and enjoying a casual glass it can be a bit more difficult. Most often, we look over the range of wines available, and choose something we know. But a wine bar is the perfect opportunity to try something new, under the guidance of someone knowledgeable. If you are feeling adventurous, ask your bartender for a recommendation, but be prepared to answer some basic questions.

Type of wine: If nothing else, you should know if you want Red, White, Rose or Sparkling.

Varietal: If you have a favorite grape, the bartender may be able to recommend the best of their selection.

Body: When enjoying wine by the glass, its vital to know what type of body you are looking for. Light bodied wines are easy to enjoy by the sip, but can go down almost too easy. Full bodied wines can be heavy after a while, but might encourage you to linger over the glass a little longer.

Descriptors: Here is where you can flex whatever wine knowledge you have. Throw out words you would use to describe what you are looking for: Fruity, Sweet, Dry, Earthy, Chocolate, Cherry, etc. Whatever you are looking for, they may well have something on the menu that will match what you are looking for.