WINE INFORMATION CHARACTER OF WINE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "WINE INFORMATION CHARACTER OF WINE"

Gabriel Peters
6 years ago
Views:

1 WINE INFORMATION Today, drinking wine has become an important and entertaining part of dinning out. More Guests are finding out that wine enhances their dining experience. Selling wine is just as important as selling the right appetizer or entrée, and is more profitable. Wine, beer, and spirit sales represent approximately 20% of all restaurant sales. Wine enhances any meal and raises your sales considerably. Charleston s has a large selection of quality wine from countries all around the world. DON T BE INTIMIDATED!! Wine sales are fun and profitable. Invest a little time to learn the basics and you will be able to sell wine. CHARACTER OF WINE One can simply leave wine to terms of color, but true wine lovers enjoy sharing the moment with their Guests and wish to capture the sentiment of the wine in other vibrant terms. These terms will increase your confidence in selling wines and they will also increase your sells and tips. Use them to describe, sell, and enjoy your wine further. Acidity - Indicates quality of tartness, tanginess, or sharpness, due to the presence of agreeable fruit acids. Acidic wines can compliment seafood in the same way a squeeze of lemon would. Appearance -This refers to clarity, no color. Wines should be free of cloud and suspended particles when evaluated in a glass. Body -Texture or viscosity of a wine. Fuller bodied wines seem richer and more mouth coating, or heavier on the palate. Cough syrup is an example of full bodied while water is an example of light bodied. Bouquet - Aroma of a wine that develops over time in the bottle Dry - The absence of sugar or sweetness in the wine. Elegant - Refers to a complex wine with refinement, not a big robust wine. Finish - How long the wine lingers in the mouth after being swallowed and what flavors are left behind. Fruity -The flavor from the grapes. A fruity wine has a lot of fruit flavor, but is not necessarily sweet.

2 Legs - Upon swirling the wine when tasting, the residual wine that runs down the side of the glass is the legs. Semi-Sweet - Slightly dry, with a fruity light-bodied taste. (If the guest asks for a sweet wine recommend our Beringer White Zinfandel.) Tannin -The naturally occurring astringent, puckery, and sometimes-bitter components of wine are collectively known as tannins. Vintage - Wine made from grapes that were harvested in one given year. WINE FLAVORS Although we carry over twenty wines, we only have a few types of flavors. Make it easy on yourself- memorize the flavors and you can describe any wine that we sell. On a wine label you will find the name of the vineyard (brand), the flavor of the wine and the type of grape. Some vineyards produce a better quality of wine than others do. Think in these terms: Cola is a flavor. You have Shasta cola, Pepsi cola, Coca-cola. They can all be described basically the same way - a caramel based, sweet, carbonated soft drink. You might describe Pepsi as being a little sweeter than Coke, with both being a much better drink than Shasta. Now do the same with wine. Note: Here at Charleston s we pour all of our wines in a 20 ounce wineglass. We pour 6 ounces of wine per glass. FOOD & WINE At some point in time, a Guest whose knowledge of wines may not be extensive will ask for assistance in choosing a proper wine that matches their selected entrée. Don t be afraid, take this opportunity to impress them with your knowledge and wine savvy. People have different tastes, therefore strict or complicated rules of wines and food pairing are not only hard to remember, but may be wrong for many people. Our basic rule for wine and food pairing is Don t Worry! There are a lot of good matches. There is nothing wrong with ordering just the preferred food with the preferred wine. In general, heavier foods pair well with full-bodied wines, likewise lighter foods with thinner bodied wines. Flavor intensity should also be consistent.

3 CHARLESTON S WINE DESCRIPTION & FOOD PAIRING CHART TYPE DESCRIPTIONS FOOD PAIRINGS WHITE Chardonnay (shar-dough-nay) The world s most popular. Dry, white, oaky. ROAST CHICK, SALMON White Zinfandel (ZIN-Fan-dell) Fume Blanc (foo-may- blahn) Pinot Grigio (PEE-no GREE-geeo) Reisling (reece-ling) Semi-sweet, Rose, berries. Fruity Flavors, Clean, Crisp Acidity White, light, refreshing Sweet, Light, Fruity GREAT W/MOST DISHES SPIN SAL, CHOPS FRESH FISH, ROAST CHICK SALADS & CHICKEN DISHES RED Served room temp. Cabernet Sauvignon (KA-burr-nay SO-veen-yawn) Merlot (murr-low) Dry, red, berries, tannic Red, dry, velvety SIRLOIN, FILET, BACKS, CHOPS FILET, BACKS, CHOPS, SIRLOIN Zinfandel (ZIN-fan-dell) Pinot Noir (Pee-no n wahr) Red, spicy, peppery finish. Spicy, creamy, red SALMON, ROAST CHICK, BACKS, CHOPS, PRIME SIRLOIN, FILET, BACKS, CHOPS Blends These are a combination of different grape varieties blended together to create a full bodied complex wine CHAMPAGNE/SPARKLING Served Chilled Champagne or Sparkling wine: A popular white, dry wine that has been carbonated to give it a bubbly effect. Champagnes that are classified, as champagne must be made in the Champagne region of France to have that name distinction, otherwise they are recognized as Sparkling wines. A good match for most foods. A good choice for a celebration or any occasion.

SERVING ETIQUETTE FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE A presentation is not always required, but at some point the guest might request the bottle be poured for the table, also a great way to increase your tips and

If the conditions are right then these steps will help you in your performance.

4 SERVING ETIQUETTE FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE A presentation is not always required, but at some point the guest might request the bottle be poured for the table, also a great way to increase your tips and to add to your showmanship is to do a wine presentation. If you are planning to do a wine presentation at the table you must bring your own wine tool to work. If the conditions are right then these steps will help you in your performance. If the guest doesn t want the wine presentation then you must let them know that we will open the bottle at the bar for their convenience 1. After the selection is made, present the wine to the guest that ordered (if a woman ordered the wine present it to her). Hold the bottle with the left hand, label facing the guest. 2. Cut the capsule neatly, just beneath the lip of the bottle. 3. Insert the lip of the corkscrew slightly off center and turn in a clockwise direction until fully into cork. 4. Holding the bottle firmly in one hand, hook the lever of the corkscrew onto the rim of the bottle.

5. Lift up in one firm motion until the cork is ¾ of the way up, then use your hand. Do not pop the cork. 6. Place the cork on the table close to the edge on the host side. 7.

To stop pouring, the bottle is moved upward in a twisting motion so the wine does not drip. The bottle should always be held two inches above the glass while pouring. 10.

If there is still wine left in the bottle place it in the ice bucket, or if it is a red wine, place it on a folded linen (folded into a square or rectangle) to the right of the host with the label

5 5. Lift up in one firm motion until the cork is ¾ of the way up, then use your hand. Do not pop the cork. 6. Place the cork on the table close to the edge on the host side. 7. Wipe the mouth of the bottle to remove any cork or mold. 8. Pour about 1 oz. of the wine into the host s glass and let them evaluate it. 9. To stop pouring, the bottle is moved upward in a twisting motion so the wine does not drip. The bottle should always be held two inches above the glass while pouring. 10. When the host approves the wine you may proceed to pouring the wine to the other guests first (clockwise, starting with the ladies, oldest, etc ), then fill the host s glass last. 11. If there is still wine left in the bottle place it in the ice bucket, or if it is a red wine, place it on a folded linen (folded into a square or rectangle) to the right of the host with the label facing him/her. CHAMPAGNE SERVICE 1. After the selection is made, present the champagne to the guest that ordered. 2. Holding the bottle at a 45 degree angle, remove the foil to expose the cork and wine hood. 3. Loosen the wine hood by twisting the loop. 4. Hold the bottle firmly in one hand and grasp the cork under a towel with the other hand. 5. Usually, all that is needed to remove the cork is to twist the bottle slightly and let the pressure force out the cork. Proceed as you would for wine.

6 MERCHANDISING HINTS 1. Offer wine to every table. Assume the sale i.e. Which wine will you be having? instead of would you like wine this evening? 2. Upsell Upsell Upsell upsell with volume, i.e. For a small amount more, you could get a lot more wine by choosing a bottle instead of two glasses. Or, if a guest would like a sweet-wine such as a Beringer White Zinfandel, you could ask We are now carrying a fantastic Pinot Grigio, not as dry as a Chardonnay, yet still very satisfying, would you like to try one? The pinot costs a little more and allows you to show off your wine knowledge to the guest, giving them better service and more presentation. 3. Control flow of wine. Be ready to pour the last of the wine after the appetizer is finished to set them up for the next bottle with their meal. i.e. It appears you re out of wine, shall I get that next bottle for you? 4. Never correct wine pairings or pronunciation. Nothing will destroy your tip like making the guest feel ignorant in front of his companions. 5. When pouring the wine face the label towards the guest. When placing the wine on the table, face the label towards the host. 6. If a guest does not finish the bottle of wine they may take it home with them. In this case you must take the bottle to the bar. The bartender will re-cork the bottle so that the cork is pushed all the way into the bottle. The bottle should then be placed into a to-go bag and stapled shut. It is important to inform a manager when sending a bottle home with a guest. 7. White wines are served chilled. Red wines are served chilled.

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." -Ernest Hemingway. "Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used; exclaim no

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." -Ernest Hemingway. "Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used; exclaim no more against it." - William Shakespeare "Othello" Act