Waiting tables can be fun, however there is a lot of responsibility to providing the right impression and when providing wine service, that is impression is vitality important.Executing Proper Wine Service can help guide the dining experience to achieve those expectations your guest are looking for, which in return will increase your gratuity.
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
Wine Opener, Side Towel, Patience, Poise, and Confidence
1. While taking the wine order, you want to make eye contact with your host and repeat the wine choice, vintage, and vineyard to clarify their order. “Waiters all too often make the mistake of just repeating the name of the wine, and not the vintage or the vineyard, which turns out to be a very costly mistake.”
2. Once you have the order, you want to make sure you get the order in immediately to avoid any unnecessary delays. Make sure you have an accurate count of wine glasses, and if they are not already on the table, make sure they are completely polished and ready for service prior to bringing them to the table.
3. Once you have your glasses down, make sure you have a folded napkin / side towel for your service. Prior to approaching the table with the wine, double-check the name of the wine, vintage, and vineyard to ensure the correct choice.
4. Now approach the table with your host selection, make sure the bottle of wine is lying on the side towel, with the label facing up to your host. Part of the presentation is to “again, repeat the name of the wine, vintage, and vineyard to your Host.”
5. Once your host approves the bottle, grab the bottle by neck, taking the side towel and placing it on your left or right forearm. ” whichever you might be, a Lefty or a Righty. ” Now take your corkscrew knife and cut the foil off the top of the bottle just underneath the lip on the bottle neck. Place your corkscrew into the cork and turn clockwise while applying pressure. Once you have gotten down to about 3/4 of the depth of the corkscrew, Stop, and hold the neck of the bottle with one hand, while pulling up the corkscrew with the other. Make sure the label is always facing the host.
6. Once your cork is out, present the cork to your host, while holding the bottle lying on the side towel with the label face up. Now pour a 2oz pour into the glass for tasting. “Holding the bottle in the label face up mode again, after you pour.”
7. After your host approves the wine, pour ladies first, with the eldest lady first if applicable. Now your pour is going to be 4 to 5 ounce pours, depending on the glasses. You always want to pour everyone else first, and your host last. While pouring, always give a 1/2 turn to the bottle and direct the bottle neck up just before finishing the pour to ensure no spillage on the table… ” Because if you have executed the wine service with stealth precision and style, then at the end of the service you get a noticeable stain on the table, that stain will not only stain the table, but will probably stain your guest Impression of your service.”
Tips & Warnings
- A double clutch wine opener is the best to help ease the challenges for your wine service.
- After serving Red Wine always place the bottle on the table, preferably in the center of the table, with the label facing the guest.
- After serving White Wine ask your Host if would prefer the bottle to be placed in the wine bucket or on top of the table.
- Always remember to double check those bottles prior to serving, because once it is opened, it is your responsibility…
- You should Never approach a table without a side towel, there is a lot that can happen at the table.”spills, spills, spills..”