How to Run a Proper

Wine Service
Delivering an elegant and sophisticated wine service for
guests is crucial to the success of any bar or restaurant. It's
important to educate servers on the way to serve wine, as
this conveys attention to detail and care for the needs of
guests. Whether your restaurant's customers are wine
experts or casual enthusiasts, a polished and elegant wine
service is sure to impress them while also elevating their
overall experience and increasing the likelihood that they will
return. Our advice on how to choose, present, and serve wine
at your restaurant will not only benefit your business and
improve revenue, but will also help your servers earn better
tips.

Helping Guests Choose a Wine

Regardless of whether your guests are aspiring sommeliers
or boxed wine drinkers, providing gracious advice and
guidance as they choose a wine is essential to a successful
service. Your employees should know and understand the
wine list and be able to easily identify and describe several
wines customers might enjoy.
Build a Great Wine List
Proper wine service starts with a well-balanced, diverse wine
list. It’s important for your staff to know a great deal about
wines, and particularly the ones on your restaurant's list. This
allows them to help your guests select the right wine for any
occasion, whether that be finding the perfect white to pair with
fresh seafood or choosing a particularly special red for
celebrating an anniversary.
Keep these important details in mind as you build your
restaurant's wine list:

• Organize your wine list in a logical manner using

geography, grape varietal, body, food pairings, or some
other classifi cation. Regardless of the categorization
method you choose, make it clean, aesthetically
pleasing, and easy to read.
• Ensure you're offering bottles at a wide range of
price points. Highlight your more expensive and rare
wines, but mix in plenty of high-quality and affordable
options, as well. However, make sure you never organize
your list based upon price, as doing so can discourage
your guests from taking a thorough look at your list.
• Spell out food pairings clearly, as they’re one of the
most important factors that determine which wines your
guests select. Even if you don’t come up with pairings for
every wine, the majority of your selections should have a
suggested food accompaniment.
• Have different styles of whites, reds, and sparkling
wines on hand to meet each individual customer’s
tastes and provide variety.
Assess Your Guests' Tastes and
Knowledge
Servers should begin by determining what brought the guests
to your restaurant. For example, they might find out that the
table is celebrating a special occasion. In that case, waitstaff
can start their recommendations at a higher price point. When
it comes to first-time guests, it might be a good idea for your
employees to talk about a wider array of options to help
familiarize new customers with what your business has to
offer.
Similarly, your employees should try to gauge your guests’
wine knowledge before they start making recommendations.
If they find that the patron is something of a wine expert, they
can speak more conversationally about the wines, as there
will be less explaining to do. Conversely, servers must be
ready to go over the basics with someone who knows little or
nothing about wine.
Finally, waitstaff should find out what kinds of wine your
guests prefer or have enjoyed in the past. Knowing what
kinds of wine patrons like can give servers a more informed
starting point. Being aware that the guests enjoy sweeter red
wine, for example, can narrow the focus considerably and
help you to streamline your service.

Opening a Wine Bottle

Opening the bottle of wine is one of the most important
aspects of a proper wine service. If your employees don’t
know how to quickly and quietly open a bottle of wine, it will
negatively reflect on your restaurant.

Tools Needed to Open a Wine Bottle

Before bringing the bottle to the table, servers should be sure
to have the following items on hand:

• Corkscrew or wine key (electric, lever, twist, or waiter's

style)
• Foil cutter (if they're not using a waiter's style wine key)
• Napkin or glass polisher
• Coaster (optional)

Once these supplies are assembled, your waitstaff is ready to

open and serve the guests' bottle of wine.

How to Decant Wine

Decanting is the process of pouring a bottle of wine into a
decorative decanter before serving in order to separate any
sediment that has formed. It also helps aerate the wine,
which can give it a boost in flavor and aroma. This process is
typically saved for red wines that have been stored for more
than five to ten years, but some guests might specially
request that their wine be decanted.
As your waitstaff decants the wine, they should use a
flashlight or candle to help them see the sediment in the
bottle so that they don't dump it in with the wine by mistake.
By pouring slowly and carefully and keeping the light under
the neck of the bottle, employees should be able to tell that
it's time to stop when the sediment reaches the top of the
neck. Remind your servers to pour slowly and continuously
until all that remains in the bottle is the unwanted sediment,
and then discard the remaining residue.

How to Open Wine at the Table

Let's say a party of four wishes to share a bottle of wine.
Unlike decanting, where the bottle is opened and poured
away from the table, your waitstaff will need to be able to
professionally open and serve the wine right at the table in
front of the guests.

To open a bottle of wine, employees should follow these

steps:

1. Cut the foil around half an inch from the lip of the bottle
using a foil cutter or the small knife in a waiter's style wine
key. This ensures the wine doesn't touch the foil and can help
prevent dripping.
2. Place the corkscrew directly into the center of the cork and
unscrew it straight into the air. Once the cork is three-quarters
out of the bottle, finish it quietly by hand to avoid a loud
popping noise. One way to do this is to gently wiggle the cork
back and forth until it's all the way out of the bottle.
3. After the cork is removed, wipe it and the top of the bottle
off. This helps remove cork debris and dust from storage.
When opening and serving a white wine, employees should
place part of a napkin between the bottle and their hand to
keep the warmth of their body from affecting its temperature.
How to Serve Wine
Following the proper protocol when serving wines to your
restaurant's guests is central to enhancing their overall dining
experience and can also help your establishment sell more
wine. Your staff will also seem more professional, which can
help you gain return customers and improve your reputation
as a business who knows their wines.

Things to Do Before Pouring Wine

Your employees should begin by showing the wine to the
person who ordered it, no matter who is paying the bill. They
should frame the label with their hands and announce the
vineyard, grape, location, and vintage to your guests. Make
sure your servers know not to open the bottle until they get
confirmation that the wine is exactly what the guest wants. It's
also essential that everyone partaking has the right  style of
wine glass. It's poor etiquette for waitstaff to retreat to the
kitchen for another glass after they've already poured wine for
the rest of the table.

How to Serve a Sip of Wine for Your

Guests to Taste
At this point, it's customary to present the cork to the guest
who ordered the bottle for them to sniff or examine, allowing
them to verify the condition of the wine. Some guests feel the
cork to make sure it's not dried out, while others will smell the
cork to take in its distinct aroma or examine the color of the
cork to ensure that the bottle has been stored properly on
its side. If they decline, employees should simply place the
cork on a coaster to the guest's right.
When pouring wine, servers should wrap the bottle in a clean
linen napkin to protect it from the warmth of their hands. This
isn't essential for serving red wines that aren't chilled, but
your guests will probably appreciate the extra effort you're
putting forth to ensure the perfect serving conditions for their
wine. Waiters’ gloves can serve the same purpose while also
projecting professionalism.
With the bottle wrapped up for temperature control, it's time to
make the first pour for the person who will taste the wine for
approval. Make sure your employees know to pour so that the
glass is filled only about half an inch, just enough for the
guest to know if it's acceptable.

Wine Serving Styles

Your servers should always pour in a clockwise pattern and
serve women first (even if this means going around the table
twice). They should finish serving with the guest who ordered
the wine, regardless of their gender. They should also always
pour from the customer's right. Your waitstaff must judge the
appropriate amount of wine to serve each guest based on the
number of people at the table but never pour more than half a
glass. An average 750 mL bottle of wine will provide
approximately five pours.
How to Finish Pouring a Glass of Wine
Employees should finish each pour with a twisting motion and
wipe the lip of the bottle to avoid dripping. When they've
finished serving your guests, they'll place the bottle to the
right of the host with the label facing outwards and ask
permission to remove the cork from the table.
If the guests are enjoying white wine, the server should ask
them if they would like the wine left on the table. If they
would, make sure servers provide them with a wine bucket or
cooler. Since white wine is usually served chilled, your guests
might also opt to have your waitstaff return it to the underbar
refrigerator until they are ready for a second glass.

Different Wine Pouring Styles

Some wines need to be poured slightly differently.
Additionally, you may be asking yourself: what is a serving of
wine? Here are a few basic guidelines for servers to keep in
mind:
• Sparkling: Pour in a trickle to avoid over-stimulating the
bubbles. Pour a small amount in the fl ute, let the bubbles
settle, and then fi nish pouring the glass until it's three-
quarters full.
• Red: Slowly pour the standard wine pour (4 oz.) into the
center of the glass until it's around half full.
• White: Slowly pour the standard wine pour (3 oz.) into
the center of the glass until it's around one-third full.

Regardless of the type of wine, servers should always hold

the bottle with both hands and leave the glass on the table as
they pour. Additionally, they need to make sure there's 6" to
10" between the bottom of the wine glass to the lip of the
bottle as they pour, as this allows the wine to aerate as it falls
into the glass.

How to Serve a Single Glass of

Wine
What if a guest merely wants a single glass of wine with
dinner? This patron is not interested in buying the entire
bottle, so it's perfectly acceptable to put the bottle back into
storage after serving. Your waitstaff should remember that it's
always good etiquette to show the bottle to your guests, even
if they only order a glass. This allows your guests to verify
that they are drinking what they ordered.

Ensuring your servers know how to pour wine at your bar or

restaurant is crucial to creating a warm and welcoming
atmosphere for all of your customers, regardless of whether
they are enjoying a fine wine. Many guests rely on their waiter
or waitress to suggest, present, and serve the perfect wine for
their tastes, making it crucial for waiters to know the pertinent
facts on each wine and how to serve it accordingly. Wine
presentation etiquette is crucial to serving vino, and an
outstanding experience can generate return business and
improve tips.