Who Gets the Wine List?

[Suzanne F]

1. The only time I remember really being annoyed at the sommelier for completely ignoring me, in spite of my attempts to discuss the list with him, was at Daniel (before it moved). Especially since the reservation was in my name, and it's kind of hard to mistake HWOE for someone named "Suzanne."

2. Usually, if no wine list is automatically provided, I am the one who asks for it, because I'm pushier than HWOE. But then we both look at it, decide together, and both ask to taste. Never had a problem that way.

3. If the list is extremely large and/or carries many unfamiliar bottles, we both look it over and discuss possibilities about which neither of us knows anything, before I finally convince HWOE that we should ask for advice from the sommelier, based on what we will be eating. Sometime he asks, sometimes I ask, but then we both discuss with the sommelier and both taste. Again, this works fine (except as in #1 above )

[Basildog]

For tables of 2 i tend to give a taste to both guests.There's nothing worse than hearing some pompous man saying" Oh you will like this darling".For a while i used to give just the ladies a taste, who ever ordered the wine,just to be perverse.

BD,

I like your thinking I must say. Though I would ask one thing:

isn't the point of tasting the wine to check it's condition, not whether 'you liked it'?

Yes Scott, they are tasting to check if its corked or not,but it just saves faffing about.

Judy, good to see you posting.

[LittleChef22]

I have never had the experience of the waiter letting my boyfriend taste the wine when I ordered it, but that would be infuriating.

[Daniel Rogov]

The rules in most good European restaurants:

1. The wine menu is either given to the obvious host/hostess of the table or to the person who requests it. If neither of those happens the wine menu is placed in a central place on the table

2. The tasting privilege goes to the person who has ordered the wine.

3. If the person tasting is not fully certain that the wine is as it should be it is his/her privilege to have a small amount poured for one other person at the table for additional tasting or to ask the sommelier to taste the wine.