Kitchen Chronicles
Do you look at wine list and buy the second or third least expensive bottle so you don’t look cheap. Stop it! If the restaurant is decent all the wine is good. Buy the least expensive bottle if that is what you want!
Don’t Be Embarrassed, The Price Of The Wine Doesn’t Reflect The Quality.
Plus your probably not there for a wine adventure, your probable there for a nice night out so a decent table wine is fine.
Reason For Going Out To Eat
First, why are you going out to eat, to relax and have a nice meal, spend time with people who are important to you, special occasion? So why spend extra on the wine. The cost of the wine doesn’t reflect the quality. The second or third least expensive is not going to be noticeably different and may actually not be as good. Read Below.
If your at a decent restaurant all the wine should be good so buy the least expensive bottle if that is what you want.
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Why buy
Unless your on a first date or a business meeting where you want to impress someone why waste your money. I bet the wine you drink at home is basically a decent table wine which is what most people drink.
The price doesn’t reflect the quality. Certain regions are always priced higher. California and French wines will be higher than a great wine from Argentina, Chili, Australia, or even some Eastern European wines.
The only person that will be upset you didn’t spend more on the wine is your server. Bigger bill equals bigger tip. The restaurant doesn’t care because usually the more expensive the wine the mark up is less and they just want you happy so you return.
Fun Fact!
Did you know that the price you pay for a glass of wine is pretty close to what the restaurant paid for the bottle. Most times it is more than the bottle costs.
Glass wine and restaurant mark up
You probably usually get wine by the glass. The glass wine is usually one of the cheapest bottle and you are usually satisfied.
Did you know the price you pay for a glass of wine is equal or more than the price the restaurant paid for the bottle.
So….. Do you think they want to serve bad wine by the glass. Most people buy by the glass
So!!!
If your at a decent restaurant all the wines should be good, plus your there to dine, eat some great food, drink a decent wine, and enjoy your company! Don’t waste your money because you feel uncomfortable. A good table wine is perfect!
A Few Quick Stories
Maestro
My wife and I went out to a very expensive restaurant to check out a young chef. We owned two restaurants at the time wanted to see what all the buzz was about.
We ordered from the multi course menu and ordered the chef’s suggestions. Most of the clientele were older wealthy people that ordered the less exciting choices. Dinner ran us $600 for two.
We ordered some aperitifs so we didn’t check out the wine list right away. When we checked out the wine list we were going to order the third cheapest bottle so we wouldn’t look cheap.
By this time the chef had already seen our order and was excited because we ordered the things he was most proud of and he asked the sommelier who we were.
The sommelier Vincent (one of the best in DC) asked us if we were in the business. I said yes and told him my name. He recognized my name because they just ran big story about me inThe Washington Post.
To make a long story short Vincent directed us to the cheapest bottle of wine and said it was one of the best his list. He was proud that he found such great wine a a reasonable price and he knew I would respect that.
The chef was also so happy to cook the items he really liked and sent us two extra courses.
The $3 Dollar Bottle
Will make this quick! I liked buying closeout (last case end of the stock) wines because they are discounted. We changed our wine list constantly so it was no problem. Our restaurant was known for great wine.
I bought a couple cases of this wine for 3 bucks a bottle. I think it usually sold for over 10 bucks but it was a closeout and most restaurants won’t buy it because they don’t like to change their wine list. They like consistency.
We were known for changing our wine list and our customers were always interested in what new wines we found. When I opened the $3 bottle I bought it was so good that I saved it for special customers and myself.
What Is The Point?
You can buy very good wine at a low bottle cost. If the glass wine is bad DON’T EAT AT THAT RESTAURANT! Sorry for yelling.