-- At an Australian-themed steakhouse, the wine we ordered came to the table with the cork already pulled. I asked if the wine isnt usually uncorked at the table. Oh, thats the way they do it in Australia, said the bubble-headed blond waitress. (No, it isnt.)
-- We were three-quarters through a bottle of riesling in a Los Angeles cafe when our waitress strolled by and pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket, looked for the level of wine and, seeing none, turned it upside down in the bucket, thereby discarding the last 6 ounces of wine. (The rest of the story ends unhappily.)
Sure, there have been times when the service was superb, but they remain in the great minority. For the most part, people without proper training serve wine.
When we do get fine wine service, we leave a larger tip than usual. Its the least we can do. We also thank the wine steward for the extra care and knowledge that went into our dining experience. And we let the manager know as well.
Good wine service reflects positively on the restaurant, and it often leads to greater wine sales. Too bad many U.S. restaurants fail to see the value of caring, professional service for their wine programs.
I have heard from many in the business of sommelier training. They say restaurant wine service is improving. Many large wine companies now offer wine service training; so do wholesale companies.
Yet what do many restaurants do? They seek to pay as little as possible, bypassing skilled wine professionals, and leading to horror stories such as those above.
Wine lovers dislike being served by those with little knowledge and skill. And because wine collectors usually are people with the wherewithal to dine out often, well, you can finish that sentence.
Wine of the Week: 2005 Khalkhal-Pamies Minervois, Loriza ($12) -- Minervois (min-er-vwah) is an underrated region in the huge south of France that makes a wide array of solid red wines, few of which are this rich and concentrated. Made from carignane, with grenache and syrah added for complexity, this wine has a rustic aroma of plums and forest floor earthiness, and weighty fruit in the mid palate calling for grilled red meats. A bargain.