The Wine List

It’s important to know the wine list well and feel confident when presenting it to the table. Bring the wine list with you when you first greet a table, and offer it with some information to orient the guest. Here’s one way: “Wines by the glass start on page 20. You can find cocktails in the pages before, and wines by the bottle after, organized by region.” As you familiarize yourself with the wine list, notice all the thoughtful details…regions are organized north to south to southwest (like moving clockwise on the map of France); each page starts with sparkling or white wine and moves to red; the sections progress from region to region, but every so often a special feature switches up the pattern. Knowing things like page numbers and being able to suggest bottles across price points is a great way to elevate your service.