Navigating Restaurant Wines by the Glass
One of the great ways to enjoy a wide variety of wines is to explore wines by the glass in restaurants. That said, “wine by the glass” programs can vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant. Factors for this are many: type of cuisine, restaurant concept, menu pricing strategy, sommelier/wine buyer interests, and style of service.
Some restaurants use their by the glass program as a way to get rid of excess inventory or use wines discounted by distributors that have not sold at regular prices. These strategies are bottom-line driven, do not showcase what is best for the cuisine of the restaurant, or what is best from a quality perspective. Too often, restaurants play it safe and just include wines from common grape varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon) without offering other grape varieties such as Arneis, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Syrah, Nero d’Avola, or Carmenere. That said, it is important to have some of these more recognizable grape varieties, in addition to wines from lesser-known grape varieties, which makes it interesting and exciting.
How do you know the restaurant you are in is emphasizing a dynamic “by the glass” program? There are several ways to know.
The number of selections. When you see a minimum of 8 selections of both white and red wines, that is a positive sign. That shows there is an emphasis on selection.
Variety of regions and grape varieties represented. There are so many great parts of going out to a restaurant- to have an experience, and being exposed to wine, spirits, or food that you may not have had before
Range of different prices. Some people are comfortable in an under $15 price range. Some people are willing to pay well over $20 for a glass of wine if they are just going to have one or maybe two.
They have a Coravin wine program. The Coravin is a device that extracts wine from a bottle without pulling the cork. It enables a restaurant (or you at home) to offer a wine by the glass from an expensive bottle without the risk of the remaining wine in the bottle going bad. You often see Coravin pours offered in 2 or 3 ounce pours.
Red wines are served at the proper temperature, around 60 degrees.
They use a wine preservation system, or Vacuvin at a minimum.
Continually evolving. The sommelier continually changes the selections based on what is new in the market, what season it is, and what their guests are responding to.
A dynamic wine by the glass program can elevate your food and wine experience and introduce you to wines you may never have had before.