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Wine that has been turned down


Rye Miles #13621

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Some friends and I were at a fairly nice restaurant, one of the girls ordered a bottle of wine. The waitress brought the wine and opened it and poured a little in her glass. She tasted it and didn't like it too much but said she would take it anyway.

 

My question is what do they do with the opened bottle if it's refused? Cook with it? Drink it later among the staff? Throw it away? I've searched and couldn't find a definitive answer. Anyone know for sure? 

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I can't say I'm an oenophile, but to my understanding, the reason for tasting a wine during the presentation is to make sure it doesn't taste "off" as opposed to whether one likes it. If it has some taste of cork taint, or perhaps some problem due to improper storage, then it can be refused, just as one could return a steak that was overdone. If you get it and simply don't like it, for example a sauvignon blanc being too "flinty," for a person's taste, then you would still be the one to pay for it. As to what is done with it after, if it is bad, then they probably pour it out and take the loss. 

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Hmmm, interesting. I assumed, as all of us did, that she was given a little taste to see if she liked it. :rolleyes:

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4 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Hmmm, interesting. I assumed, as all of us did, that she was given a little taste to see if she liked it. :rolleyes:

 

Nope. I did find this. Sort of a guide:

https://tanglewoodwine.co.uk/blogs/news/how-taste-wine-restaurant-before-served

 

Quote

On the other hand, if you have ordered a bottle, the etiquette is a little different. If there is a flaw in the wine, for example, it tastes oxidized or corked, then you should absolutely send it back, and the sommelier will replace it with a fresh bottle. However, if you simply do not like a wine, then returning a full bottle isn’t usually the done thing. If you are unsure about what wine to order, you can tell your waiter your usual preferences, or request a wine by the glass before uncorking a fresh bottle!

 

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Then there are those that can't turn a bottle of wine down regardless...

 

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1 hour ago, Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 said:

My daughter used to wait table at a high end restaurant. She said sometimes there is nothing wrong with the wine, then the staff will drink it, if it is bad they just pour it out . Mark up is so high on wine they can afford to eat a few now and then.

So you can refuse a bottle if it’s not to your taste? I would think so in a higher end restaurant! The restaurant we were in was not exactly high end but not a cheap place either. Italian restaurant that’s been in business for a  100 years!

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1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

So you can refuse a bottle if it’s not to your taste? 

You can do a lot of things in a restaurant. It doesn’t mean they’re all polite and should be done. 

 

Both of of my daughters have or do work in high end restaurants. The wine tasting is for obvious flaws in the bottle before serving the table, and the restaurant will make things right. 

 

If you want to try a new taste, order a glass first, or ask the sommelier for a recommendation. 

 

If you order a bottle, taste it, and just don’t like it, be polite and work with the staff. Somebody at your table will enjoy the bottle, and a second bottle will probably come at a discount. 

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Depends on how 'high end' you're talking about, and if you are a favored customer.

 

The wine-tasting business is a ritual. If your basis for 'rejecting' it is just 'taste' and the wine is not bad, you pay for it.

 

I haven't seen anybody 'send a bottle back' for years.

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