Italian and Spanish Mix

Hello Wine Lovers!

I thought I would talk today about ordering wine from a restaurant menu. In a previous post I wrote about how to buy wine from your favorite wine merchant and after a recent visit to a restaurant I feel this may be helpful to some of you.

First and foremost, do not be intimidated by the wine list, server, bartender, or sommelier...they are all there to assist you with your selection! Secondly, don't be intimidated and ask plenty of questions. Last but not least, know what you want to spend and remember what you have been drinking lately at home or elsewhere. This will help them guide you down the path of your tastes and expectations.

I always recommend you widen your horizons when dining out, not only with your wine selections but with your food selections as well. Try something different, trust me, it will be fun!

Tell the person who is taking care of you a few different wines that you enjoy, a range of what you want to spend and ask him/her for their recommendations or favorites.

You may want to ask them what specials the restaurant is featuring.Theses wines are usually a good value and are very approachable. Another one of my favorites is to ask them for the hidden jewel on the list. The wine that is under priced and drinking really well. Ask them for a wine that sells for $30 but drinks like it is $50 or $60, this is always a nice challenge for the person taking care of you!

When you make your selection and the bottle is presented to you be sure it is what your agreed upon. Look at the year, producer and area it is from. After you give your nod of approval you will be presented the cork, DON'T SMELL IT! Place it on the table. You will then be poured a small amount in your glass. DON'T TASTE IT! Swirl and smell, as long as it smells vibrant and not overly "musty" give your nod of approval. After wine has been poured for everyone, sit back and take your first sip and enjoy. If for some reason you do not like the wine, return it and order something different. (The restaurant will pour it off as a "by the glass" or special... don't feel bad it is your money, your fun, your tastes)

Remember the staff is there to help you with your selections and their education on what they are selling and what is value driven and what is really appealing... take advantage of this! Have fun and experiment but most of all enjoy wine with food!

Whew! Too wordy! Sorry about that! Now the wines for today. I chose an Italian White Blend, Casamatta Bianco Toscana. This little number is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Trebbiano. A lush, fruit forward wine with grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors with slight minerals on the finish. A great food wine for fish, light pastas and chicken. $6.99 a bottle will have you laughing as you sip!

My red for today is a Spanish 100% Garnacha, Monte Oton. This wine is beautiful with plenty of fruit nuances from blackberry, plum and raspberry flavors. It is rich with texture from the volcanic soil it grows in on the slopes of an extinct volcano in rugged Spain. This will set you back a whole $6.99 also! (It just kills me...)

Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (in Spanish, Garnacha) is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varietals in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain and the south of France. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results.

Cheers!

J