Wine Service [General]

2007 Nov 15
I'm curious what y'all think about wine service, specifically the pouring part.

In my experience it's the norm for the server to top up a glass as she passes the table. This aggravates me though because what usually happens is the person who drinks the fastest gets the most wine. I also find it presumptuous that one of the customers sharing might want more than one glass.

Of course the solution is for me to speak up once the first glass has been poured but, is that rude? Is it bad etiquette to say, "I'll pour the rest myself"?



2007 Nov 15
Well the obvious solution is for each person to order his or her own bottle! :D

2007 Nov 16
I love FF's idea!

I think a good server would notice the wine levels of all glasses on the table and try to pour accordingly. However, the person drinking the fastest should also be the one to order the next bottle. I think it would be bad etiquette to say you'll pour the rest yourself immediately after they pour the first glass, but it would be acceptable when they come by the first time to top up the glass.

2007 Nov 16
I don't think it's bad etiquette at all to say that you prefer to pour your own. I would even stop them right at the beginning before they pour anything. Of course, I also believe that 95% of etiquette is BS so take my comments into context accordingly :-)

2007 Nov 16
It depends on where you're eating, I think. If you're slugging back wine at The Works, then by all means top me up. (PS: I love The Works). If you're at Beckta, you want to make sure that everything is dished out just so, and a couple inches at a time.

Me, I'm just pleased enough when the server identifies me as Alpha Wine Male and gives me ritual first, so I can pass "yea" or "nay" judgement on a bottle before it gets poured to everybody else.

2007 Nov 16
"Of course, I also believe that 95% of etiquette is BS so take my comments into context accordingly :-)"

I think this is part of the aggravation, that as a customer I'm supposed to express good etiquette by sitting there like a sheep and letting the server pour my expensive (to me) bottle of wine. Another part is the upsell feeling I get that I am being rushed to buy another bottle.

The focus of dining out should be on the customer's enjoyment. I sometimes find that good etiquette restricts my enjoyment, especially when I am shelling out for a fancy dinner.



2007 Nov 17


Hey Ollie .... Good thing you still have 5% of non BS etiquette left. I guess this keeps you from brushing your hair at the table. Or maybe that is BS as well, considering it's your hair and your brush and your enjoyment to brush it when you want. You wouldn't want restrict your enjoyment, especially when you are shelling out for a fancy dinner.


All in all, sounds like 'Sour Grapes' !! (Pun fully intended)









2007 Nov 17
Hi Captain Caper, that's actually zymurgist's figure that I'm quoting but I imagine there's a bit of hyperbole in the number, no need to take the comment so seriously. Of course I don't expect to brush my hair or anything else as equally ridiculous at the dinner table. I'm not sour at all, just wanted to get feedback to see if other diners felt the same way and some ideas on how to handle the situation without offending the server.



2007 Nov 20
If I insist on pouring myself, I'll drink at home as I can find a tasty bottle in my cellar. When I go out, I consider it part of the service to inconspicuously refill the wine and water glasses as required. The talent in providing the service is for the server to be able to almost read your mind, and keep your appetites satisfied. Alas, very few places here offer this level of 'read your mind' service. I think FF (or someone) mentioned this can be had a Baccara, and Signatures...

2007 Nov 20
re: telepathic waitstaff

I said this about Le Baccara and Chris Knight recently said it too. Even if the food there weren't insanely delicious it would be worth visiting just for the service.

re: wine

I just heard that they recommend 1/2 a glass of wine per day to ward off colon cancer. Of course, this combines with the 1 glass a day recommended to fight heart disease and the ZERO glasses per day recommended to avoid breast cancer. That leaves you with a quota of 1.5 glasses per day! Doctor's orders! My logic is flawless. ;-)