Choosing a bottle of wine at retail — whether you’re browsing a well-curated wine shop or grabbing something off a grocery store shelf — is a low-stakes experience. Ordering one at a fancy restaurant is another matter entirely. With the whole table watching, you’re expected to make a quick decision that satisfies everyone’s tastes and fits the budget.
I spoke with sommelier Baptiste Beaumard of New York’s Michelin-starred Restaurant Daniel about navigating wine orders at fine-dining establishments — including whether using a wine list-scanning app like Vivino or Wine Searcher is considered a faux pas.
“People are often intimidated if it’s the first time they’re speaking with a sommelier,” says Beaumard. While the sommelier job may be about wine sales in its basest interpretation, “It’s more about making the guest comfortable,” he says, and connecting them with the perfect wine, not just the most expensive one.
Beaumard shares his practiced guidance on how
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