Selecting Red Wine & Handling the Tasting Ritual At Restaurants With Ease

Selecting the Right Red Wine

• This is a very subjective topic because everyone has their own taste.  However, it is important for the empowered red wine drinker to have a general set of principles when making a wine selection. 
• Set a budget
• Know the kinds of wine you like by their descriptions.  For more help on this see the "How to Describe and Sample Wine" section.
• Know what type of food you would intend to eat with the wine and communicate that information to staff at the wine store.
• Try a sample of the wine, if available.  

How to Easily Handle the Tasting Ritual at Restaurants

• The bottle is presented to you. 
• The server removes the cork and places it in front of you.
• The server may decant the wine, if appropriate.
• The server pours a small amount of wine into your glass.
• The server then pours the wine into everyone elses glasses.