| We're your customers. That's right, we pay your | | | | one with "winese" puffery descriptions. |
| bills - so listen up. Why can't we understand your | | | | Example: "This wine has hints of dark tree fruit, |
| wine list? We know what we like, but your wine | | | | root vegetable, autumn leaves, pears, berries and |
| list doesn't give us a clue. Ok, so we're not wine | | | | vanilla, with a strong finish of cigar box." Amazing! |
| knowledgeable, don't hate us because we'd still like | | | | Do you have something that tastes like wine? |
| some wine that we'll enjoy. We really like wine, | | | | In January of 1980, Grey Moss Inn in Grey |
| especially with a good meal. But we don't want to | | | | Forrest, Texas, implemented the "Customer |
| study the stuff so we can understand your wine | | | | Friendly Wine List." Customers could order wines |
| list and know how a wine will taste. | | | | by the way they taste for the first time ever. |
| Count these up: 1) County of Origin, 2) Producer, | | | | The wine list was divided into categories: |
| 3) Vintage date, 4) Appellation, 5) Variety of | | | | 1) Slightly Sweet, 2) Light, Soft, 3) Light, Crisp, |
| Grape, 6) Vineyard, and 7) season the grapes | | | | Fruity, 3) Fuller, Rounded, Dry, |
| were picked (Ice Wine, Late Harvest, etc.). That's | | | | 4) Elegance, Finesse, 5) Robust, Complex, Full |
| right, seven items of information must be | | | | Flavored 6) After Dinner Sweet |
| catalogued and understood to give us a chance at | | | | Red, white and rose wines all appeared in most |
| knowing what a wine tastes like when reading | | | | categories. Some wines like Chardonnay and |
| your traditional wine list. Keep six of these, change | | | | Cabernet Sauvignon appeared under as many as |
| the seventh, and all bets are off on how the wine | | | | three categories. As customers, we knew that by |
| will taste. We get as confused as a blind dog in a | | | | staying within a category we could be |
| meat house. | | | | experimental ordering wine and still enjoy our |
| If you hear a lot of us saying, "Just give me a | | | | selection. |
| glass of your house white," you have a wine list | | | | Jill Goolden published the book, The Taste of |
| problem. Hey, we're not too cheap to buy a | | | | Wine, around 1990 , and about a decade later |
| bottle of wine; we just don't want to make a | | | | Fiona Beckett published Wines by Style. The |
| sizeable investment in a bottle we may not like. | | | | thesis of these books is to classify wine by how |
| So why keep us in the dark, trying to decipher | | | | it tastes, rather than the seven criteria above. |
| your wine list code? Why not tell us how the wine | | | | These books led to a rash of wine lists offering |
| tastes, and we'll pop for a bottle or two. | | | | up their contents by taste profile - but these |
| Expensive restaurants once solved this problem | | | | glimmering lights seem to be flickering out. |
| with a sommelier whose job it was to discern our | | | | If you lack the confidence to develop a wine list |
| taste preference, analyze the menu we've | | | | for your restaurant that lets us order wines by |
| ordered, and recommend a wine we would enjoy | | | | the way they taste, hire a qualified wine |
| with our meal. There are precious few qualified | | | | consultant, or work closely with your vendors to |
| sommeliers around these days, especially in | | | | achieve your goal. Then watch your wines sales |
| affordable restaurants. When your wait staff | | | | grow from glasses to bottles, as we feel |
| recommends, it's usually wines they like. | | | | comfortable ordering from your list. |
| The only thing worse than a traditional wine list is | | | | |