Unit 24 of 26 · Online wine course

Wine at the Table: Restaurants and Etiquette

Restaurants, etiquette, parties and gifts. 6 lessons · about 48 min

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The 6 lessons

  1. Ordering wine in a restaurant with confidence

    What to tell the sommelier, what the bottle ritual is for, and when sending a wine back is fair: faulty or wrong, not just unfamiliar.

    You will be able to:

    • ask for help and name your budget with confidence
    • check the bottle and the first taste for soundness
    • send back a faulty or wrong bottle politely
    about 8 min

  2. Wine etiquette without the snobbery

    Why we toast, who is poured first, how to say no thanks and what to do with a wine you dislike: wine manners are care for people, not clever words.

    You will be able to:

    • show good wine manners without any fancy words
    • serve, toast and decline a top-up with confidence
    • handle a wine you dislike kindly at a friend's
    about 8 min

  3. Opening bottles: corks, screwcaps and bubbles

    Steady hands beat strength: twist the bottle for a screwcap, pull a cork in two calm steps, rescue a crumbling one, and ease bubbles out with a sigh.

    You will be able to:

    • open a screwcap and a cork calmly and cleanly
    • rescue a crumbling or broken cork with the right tool
    • open sparkling wine safely, with a sigh not a pop
    about 8 min

  4. Hosting a wine tasting at home

    Pick a theme, pour four to six wines from light to full, and make the evening about talking, not about being right.

    You will be able to:

    • choose a theme and four to six wines
    • plan tasting pours and set a simple table
    • run a single or double blind tasting with a reveal
    about 8 min

  5. How much wine for a party: the sums and the logistics

    Count wine for a dinner or a drinks party, stretch sparkling for a toast, buy on sale or return, chill a crowd's worth and get everyone home safely.

    You will be able to:

    • work out bottles for a dinner or a drinks party
    • plan the mix, the chilling and sale or return
    • plan water, food and a safe way home for guests
    about 8 min

  6. Choosing wine as a gift: start with the person

    The best wine gift starts with what the person already enjoys, not the price tag: safe bets, story bottles, gifts for non-drinkers and a good note.

    You will be able to:

    • choose a wine gift around what the person enjoys
    • name safe bets and wines to skip as gifts
    • give a bottle with a note and no pressure
    about 8 min

Related reading on Winelingo: How to Order Wine at a Restaurant (Without the Panic)