Wine List Mix-ups

[GordonCooks]

I look fairly young for my age and have had my share of wool pulled over my eyes because I didn't know better. I have fond memories of incorrect bottles, upsells, etc. A recent trip to a restaurant I don't frequent often at all where a attractively priced 1997 Caymus Special Select was ordered only to be presented a 98 Napa. When the error was brought to the attention of the server, I was informed that the 97 was na and all they had was the 98. I was offered a 99 Quintessa (a wine that I just don't get - I see it every where) but declined. Any good tales to share?

I must add that none of my mis-adventures have been at the hand of a sommelier.

[Carema]

Qunitessa is Fransican's high end pet project, originally a 333 (cab s cab f & merlot) and now a higher percentage of cab s. Phillipe Melka made is for awhile, now Sara Gott I believe. The 99 Quintessa, for the same attractive price would have been allright but no nasty Caymus, esp 98 which was weedy and green peppery. ew! Quintessa can be delicious, there is nothing to get it is just damned good CA wine- but pricey as shit too. I mean caymus Conundrum for god's sake for 30 bucks! The only Conundrum is why any jackass would pay 30 dollars for confused slightly sweet sauvignon blanc with a hint of muscat thrown in for extra cheapness.

Lots of times busy GMs do not keep the wine list updated so the staff doesn't know- probably they just said, "Caymus Cab- I am in the weeds" and the hostess ran down there desperately trying to pull Caymus, for all you know the Special Select was there but no-one could find it. So they brought it up hoping you wouldn't notice. Or maybe they didn't notice. Who knows???

[GordonCooks]

Quintessa can be delicious, there is nothing to get it is just damned good CA wine- but pricey as shit too.

I've had Quintessa a few times and (personally) always found it uninteresting. Better choices can be made at it's price point with more personality like Insignia, Pahlmeyer, Ridge (just my personal taste) Maybe I should give it another go seeing as there is a new winemaker.

So they brought it up hoping you wouldn't notice. Or maybe they didn't notice. Who knows???

My guess as well.

[mikeycook]

When the error was brought to the attention of the server, I was informed that the 97 was na and all they had was the 98.

Not to stereotype, but I have had "vintage switch" problems at a lot of Italian restaurants in NYC, particularly mid-priced places without sommeliers. I have always been the one that notices. I have begun to suspect that some of these restaurants don't care enough about wine to care what vintage is being served and assume that one is just as good as another (perhaps they have not caught up to the advances in Italian wine over the last decade.) They probably don't want to have to update the wine list regularly, so when the new vintage comes in they just start serving it.

[suzilightning]

try not only vintage but wine as well at local "upscale" italian restaurant.

i asked the waiter which wines were to be had by the glass. he said red and white.

i asked again were they pinot grigio, barbera, barbaresco? he said red or white?

i said the white ones - he said yes.

finally i asked for the wine list, made my selection and he brought me a bottle. it was a) the wrong vintage and b) the wrong wine. when i pointed it out to him he said they were out of the one i asked for. i said then i would like X. his comment to me was before he went down to the cellar again would i like to make another choice in case that one was out as well. yes, i said, a glass of water and forget the wine.

perhaps, since i am female, he thought it wouldn't matter?

[Echezeaux]

So many stories to tell!

But in line with Suzi's...

Dining in a famous touristy restaurant in Florence--we had just been seated and there was a straw-covered fiasco bottle of "house Chianti" on the table when I saw someone carry a box of Sassicaia through the dining room.

I asked the waiter for a wine list, saying we'd like to order a nice bottle of wine. No list was brought as we're "tourists" and "how could we possibly know anything about Italian wine?" The waiter simply grabbed the jug of Chianti and returned a while later with a marginally better bottle of "house Chianti Classico".

The food was so-so, despite the popularity of the place (and I was dragged there a year later by some Tuscan friends). Same sort of result.

-----------------

Another time in France's Champagne region, we ordered a bottle of Coteaux Champenois Rouge at the suggestion of the maitre d'. He explained it was made down the road and they only produce a small number of bottles, which this Relais & Chateaux place purchased the entire production. When the wine was brought and I was offered the "say," I felt there was something off--the wine seemed oxidized. I offered the glass to my companions who both agreed the wine was spoiled. We refused the bottle.

The maitre d' then flew into a rage, seeing us refuse this. He arrived to say "The wine is SUPPOSED TO TASTE THAT WAY!" (leaving out the redundant "YOU STUPID AMERICANS!").

We were treated coldly the rest of the evening, but the waiter told us we were not the only ones to refuse this wine...it was frequently rejected by diners and the wine had been purchased at the insistence of the maitre d'.

------------

[mikeycook]

I am really pleased to see that at a lot of the top Italian places, the approach is starting to change (certainly places like Babbo and Felidia do not suffer this problem), but I guess it takes a long time to change restaurant culture.

I am a relatively young male (34) and look even younger (around 25) and have certainly had my share of sommeliers, maitre d's and waiters who have assumed I know nothing about wine. This is usually a situation that is quickly rectified once we start talking (unless they know nothing about wine.) However, I have had my share of disgusted looks after rejecting a corked or otherwise unacceptable wine (perhaps I should say, "Why don't YOU taste it?")

One thing, however, that I think contributes to this is the number of customers who return a wine simply because they don't like it. I have been out to dinner with people who have ordered a wine they chose and they then realized it was not a variety or style they liked, or was not as great as a similar wine by another producer. They then insist on getting another bottle and not paying for the first (it is truly embarassing, but a lot of restaurants will comply in the name of good service.) Perhaps it is because the average restaurant patron knows little about wine, but to me, this is like ordering a dish you have never had, not liking it (even though there is nothing "wrong" with it), and expecting it to be replaced comp. I wonder if these same people return wines to the liquor store and demand a refund if they don't like them.

I make it a rule that if I choose the wine, I will accept it unless it has a real problem, such as being corked or otherwise spoiled. If those at the table don't like it, it is my mistake and I order a new bottle. If I order a $30 Bordeaux on a restaurant menu, I set my expectations accordingly (some people expect every Bordeaux to taste lake a first- or second-growth.) If I order a varietal or style I have never had before, I take that into account (if I just don't like it, that is my problem, and I expect to pay for it.)

[StephenT]

A different sort of wine list mix-up to the others on this thread so far. One evening a few years ago I found myself with several colleagues in the Atlantic Bar and Grill in London. We'd had a few before we got there and after a further round of cocktails we started perusing the wine list. I wasn't choosing the wine, but the person who was chose a moderately priced (£30 or so I think it was) sauvignon blanc from the list. Unfortunately that wasn't available so he chose the one immediately underneath it on the list. It arrived, we drank it and were quite impressed at his excellent choice. Hours later, when the bill arrived, it turned out that the second choice was actually £110. Good thing we had enjoyed it!

[Mark Sommelier]

I had an unfortunate customer who would not heed my prompting with his selection. He pointed at the '82 Lynch Bages for $900. I went back and confirmed his order, pointing not only at the wine and vintage, but the price too. He agreed. He ordered the second bottle and I suggested something else, around $400. He said "That's too expensive".

Uh-oh.

I mentioned the first bottle costing $900. He goes white. He thought he was ordering the wine underneath that cost $90. Since I had double confirmed the original order, the wine remained on the check. I have to say. The guy was a sport and paid the bill without complaint.

Edited September 19, 2003 by Mark Sommelier (log)

[beegew]

A cheerful note about wine you find you don't care for or that underperforms. We had a lovely experience with a so-so wine at Bayona, in New Orleans, this past June. We'd ordered (for us) a hefty $68 Cabernet that just sounded delightful. Proper glasses (Riedel style), and our superb entrees ~ we were set. Three quarters of the way through, we realized the vino had just died on the vine. There was no taste in our glasses. Mon Dieu! Oh well, we'd quaffed most the bottle, eh? Finished up dinner (okay ~ there we practically licked the plates...), and then ordered dessert, asking the waiter for a lovely Cab 'by the glass' recommendation to go with the chocolate we'd ordered. "Are you finished with this?' he asked about our still full wine glasses. "Yes' DH says, explaining conversationally how it had just 'gone away'. "Wait just a moment" he said. The sommelier makes his appearence, asks about the wine, we explain, and next thing you know he's taking it off the tab. Gads! WE were chagrinned, knowing we hadn't COMPLAINED , just chatted! But they wouldn't hear any more about it. Of course, the wine that came was $18/glass (generously poured ...), but sheesh! Beat that original bottle all to pieces, and they have our undying loyalty for the way it was handled. We were stunned, to say the least.

[ctgm]

When I was in my mid-20s (ie prob c.1997), I went with my then girlfriend (now wife) to a smartish restaurant (now sadly closed) in London owned by Michael Caine.

Ordered a bottle of 1990 Ramage La Battise, which would have been a really nice Cru Bourgeois. The waiter brought a bottle of the 1991. I pointed this out to him and got a reply that the 1991 vintage was as good as the 1990! (Having worked in Bordeaux from 1991-1993 I was well aware of the difficulties of the 1991 vintage).

I suppose on hindsight I should have had a word with the manager. I guess it was unlucky of the waiter to try and fob off some young punk who new a little about wine.

[enthusiast]

a smartish restaurant (now sadly closed) in London owned by Michael Caine.

was that the Canteen in Chelsea harbour?

very funny story about that place. a colleague of mine was asked by another colleague who worked in a different department if she wanted to have lunch to catch up on work things. she agreed and suggested the canteen. she duly crossed the road to the staff canteen and he got in a taxi to Chelsea harbour 45 minutes away!

Edited September 23, 2003 by enthusiast (log)