Screw the glass, get a whole bottle!

November 14, 2007 8:08 AM

Any seasoned servers/wine aficionados out there? I need to learn how to sell wine and describe it. Seeking more of a quick guide/anecdotes as a jumping off point rather than book recommendations.

I just got a new job at the kind of restaurant where I'm expected to be able to recommend wine to customers and therefore sell quite a bit of it. I am by no means an expert and will be trained by the management, of course, but I figured I'd get some great colloquial advice from you guys and be ahead of the game.

So here's what I think I need: links to one-stop wine pairing guides (beyond white=chicken/fish, red=meat) and tips on actual table side selling-without-being-pushy. And maybe some related vocab that isn't terribly snotty sounding.

The wine list is varied as far as country origin and varietals and the menu is broadly Mediterranean (minus Italian).

posted by sarelicar to food & drink (11 comments total)

Honestly I dont think it needs to go much further than "white=chicken/fish, red=steaks/spicy food. I found most customers weren't terribly knowledgeable about that stuff and never cared much. It's usu. management that pushes for wine expertise. I'm assuming since this is expected of you, the house disseminates it's own literature on the stuff. But since you want to be as good as you can be , Here's just a few pointers.

To avoid sounding snotty or intimidating the guests, present as "would you prefer white or red? then list only if they ask you too. Otherwise recommend one of your fav wines. (I worked at a 2 star NY times rated and they did wine and beer tstings every day, as yours should if they expect this proficiency from you).

Carry linen napkins over your forearm and present the wine face forward and say the name and year, and learn to open it quickly in front of them so as not to minimize discomfort.
posted by Student of Man at 8:21 AM on November 14, 2007

I'm sorry I don't have any links to any sites, but I can e-mail you some lit I got from on-the job training if you want to learn more about wines/regions/history and climates.
posted by Student of Man at 8:25 AM on November 14, 2007

so, until two years ago, all wines tasted pretty much the same to me (i mean, with the obvious distinction between red and white). i could say if i liked something, and that was about it.

then, i lived with a guy who really liked wine, and we drank quite a bit of it. mostly reds, with some whites thrown in.

now, i won't be able to take a sip and think, "oh, this is a cabernet-sauvignon," but at least i know how to describe what i'm tasting, and know why.

if your restaurant won't have a rotating selection of wines (which would be tough to keep on top of - a hard job indeed but someone's got to do it!), you can practice buy getting a bottle of each (over a period of time), and drink the wine. taste it. take notes - "tastes kind of bitter at first, but gets smoother the longer it's been open. really full flavors." no need to get too in depth. just remember what you do and don't like about it. "surprisingly dry."

remember that wines change after being open for more than a day or so, so stick with you initial impressions.

this should give you enough information to tell a customer what wine you like, and roughly why.
posted by entropone at 8:44 AM on November 14, 2007

I heartily recommend Andrea Immer Robinson's Great Wine Made Simple as an introduction to wine that is unintimidating but not dumbed down. It starts out very simple but ends up covering a lot of ground. It's possible you'd get everything you'd need for this job out of the first chapter or two.
posted by dfan at 8:56 AM on November 14, 2007

Firstly, understand your wine menu. Understand how it's laid out- many list their whites and reds from sweetest to driest or vice-versa- and use this to help direct people to the wines they like.

Familiarize yourself with wine terminology. You don't have to know everything about the wide world of wine, but you should be familiar with terms like varietal, bouquet, tannin, "legs", body, etc., and be able to identify different characteristics of wine by smell, such as different fruits (dark berries for reds melon/sweet fruits for whites), oakiness, chocolate, etc.

The most important thing I learned about selling wine in a fine dining restaurant is that you need to learn to assess what someone's knowledge of wine is before you go engage them. This will set the tone for the interaction that follows. People who know wine know what they like and know what they want. They may ask you questions, but don't try to engage them in a serious discussion about the finer points of various wines on their menu, because they will always want to sound/feel like they know more about wine than you and will not stop until they're satisfied of this (referred to as a "wine pissing contest").

On the other hand, you will also get guests who know little about wine. People like this can be intimidated by ordering wine in a nice restaurant, so they may ask you for recommendations first. Pick a white and a red on your menu that you feel are the best general pairing, easy drinking, reasonably priced selections and fall back on those every time- chances are if you get a good spiel down people will trust you and order it, and once they try that first glass you can ask them what they liked or didn't like about it to try to find something else they may enjoy more (or they may be perfectly happy going with your selection).

The really important thing to understand about people like this is that you need to provide them with an environment in which they feel comfortable ordering and enjoying wine. "Excellent suggestion sir" is a really hackneyed way of accomplishing this, so don't do it, but recommending a certain wine with a food item ordered (would you like a glass of Dynamite Cabernet with your chop steak? It's an intense and dynamic selection that offers the depth and tannic structure that I feel compliments and enhances the enjoyment of this excellent cut) is a great way to engage a customer and get them thinking about wine.

There's only one best way to learn about wine: Drink wine and talk about it! Enjoy bottles with your friends, and have specific discussions about what everybody feels about the wine you're drinking. This will also help you learn how to properly service a bottle of wine.

Along these lines, your establishment may offer a wine training program/class. If you haven't heard of such a thing, ask your manager. Get permission to sample wines from the menu, and talk to the bartenders about them to see what works and what doesn't. If you find out that somebody is highly knowledgeable about wine, see if they'd be willing to engage you on a higher level about their experience- people that love wine love to talk about wine!

Suggest wine when you greet a table. Have a good one picked out with a good spiel, write it down if you need to. Remember, you don't need to be the ultimate expert, but if you can seem knowledgeable and competent when you discuss the wine you're selling, it will give the guest some very important cues. Firstly, that your establishment encourages wine pairings as part of enjoying their food; secondly, that you're a good resource for wine selections; and most importantly, it gets them thinking about wine!

My fine dining wine mentor once told me something that I will pass on because it is quite sagely: He told me that if you get somebody to order a glass of wine based on their recommendation at the table greet, and they like it, then they will "open their wallets to you". His words, not mine. The idea being that if you wow them with your initial wine recommendation, they're much more receptive to your suggestions or recommendations for other menu items, like their appetizers, entrees, and more wines. The most important thing about wine sales is having a good lead-in. Don't wait for your guests to bring it up, engage them about wine when you greet the table. A simple "our house red is fantastic and goes well with everything" isn't going to do it. You need to use specific adjectives and really get people in the mood to enjoy wine. Once you're comfortable with using descriptors and "winespeak" the rest is cake.
posted by baphomet at 9:25 AM on November 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

correction last paragraph: based on your recommendation at the table greet
posted by baphomet at 9:27 AM on November 14, 2007

Also for a more bullshit oriented answer, I found that the phrase, "excellent bouquet that transforms the flavor profile on the palate" is a deal sealer. Also don't forget to practice your superlatives: fantastic, stunning, stellar, orgasmic (gets people's attention), spectacular, etc. are all words you should get comfortable using on a nightly basis. Many servers also like to "plant the seed" or "inform the expectation" by using these terms when they deliver the food or drink item: "Here's your excellent glass of Coppolla Claret"- the idea here is that you put the descriptor in their head so that it's already on their mind when they taste it. YMMV.
posted by baphomet at 9:33 AM on November 14, 2007

I agree with everything in baphomet's first comment and absolutely nothing in his third. I go out a lot, I love wine, and I hate it when waiters go overboard on the superlatives and the bullshit. Not only is it irritating (Orgasmic? Gross.) but it damages the relationship, because I'm now not going to trust that server's opinion on anything.
posted by desuetude at 9:59 AM on November 14, 2007

Hey, like I said, that's the bullshit approach. It's popular, it just doesn't work on everybody.
posted by baphomet at 10:17 AM on November 14, 2007

Also (sorry clog your thread, I'm done after this) I do recommend against the bullshit approach because as desuetude points out it tends to be disingenuous and doesn't really describe the wine that well. You're selling your language when you use that approach, not wine. Now that's not to say that you shouldn't use superlatives when you describe wine because calling a truly great wine great is doing it a favor, but it shouldn't be the focus of your sales pitch. That said, some people are extremely receptive to it, and if you pick up on that there's nothing wrong with bullshitting with somebody to get the sale. The reason this approach is popular is because it allows people to talk about wine without actually knowing anything about it- obviously for most people interested in wine being able to express familiarity with and knowledge of wine is a better approach than sounding like a car salesman.
posted by baphomet at 10:30 AM on November 14, 2007

I've worked in a restaurant for 4 years and I'm an avid wine afficianado. The bullshit lines which throw around "bouquet" and "structure" and "full-bodied" may work on non-knowledgable customers that want to be whisked away by a waiting experience, but if I go to a restaurant, look at their list and begin to get some spiel that sounds onerous, I'm not going to like it personally.

The best advice I can give, if you want to be able to communicate about the wine on your list to your customers, is to talk to your manager and gradually go through tasting the wines. Attempt to build your pallate and this will be the only way you can connect with a customer's desires.

Could you share your wine list? Is it top tier stuff or mostly village light quaffers? What's the price range, region specificity? Do you have a sommelier? Give us some more info...
posted by stratastar at 6:10 PM on November 14, 2007