how to outsmart the restaurant wine list

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Lesson 4 of our series on becoming a master of pairing food and wine.

At this point, you should be 30% more confident, 40% more charming, and 100% less likely to order an oaky Chardonnay with a spicy curry, than you were mere months ago.

Welcome back to The Pairing Playbook, a food + wine series with food writer, Sophia Wronsky of Sophia is Voracious and sommelier Megumi Calver (hi, that’s me), where we’re breaking down wine pairings with science and strategy. We’re here to help you understand the science behind food and wine so you’re not just guessing, but you’re impressing!

Before you dig into the final lesson, make sure you’re caught up on the basics:

• Taste 101

• Six essential pairing strategies

• How to pick wine for a dinner party

Now, it’s your time to shine. Whether you’re at a work dinner, third date, or holiday party, we are all relying on you to pick up that leatherbound booklet, point to a random line, and say “tell me more about this one.”

The Approach

Before you call over the sommelier (and you should always call the sommelier), you need to collect a few data points from your diners.

• Food: what are we eating?

• Strategy: are we drinking to pair, to impress, or to cope?

• Quantity: how many bottles are we planning to drink?

• Budget: how much is everyone willing to Venmo you later?

The Process

1. Scan for structure: by country? By grape? By “vibe”? Figure out how the list is pretending to be organized. This is less about understanding it and more about knowing where to look. Within each section, lists are typically organized from lightest to heaviest.

2. Find your price range: no one wants to be the person who accidentally orders a $250 Barolo. Start with a number in your head and then find wines in that range. The goal is “confident middle of the list” energy — not bargain bin, not power move.

3. Get out of your comfort zone: you already know what Pinot Noir tastes like. Now’s the time to make friends with a Mencía or a Godello. The lesser known varietals are often where the value is — and you get to look cool and clever.

4. Narrow down your brief. A few of our favorites:

1. “Something that is light, minerally, and goes down smoothly. Think Sancerre but more economical.”

2. “We love a funky, kombucha-like wine, but we’re planning on ordering the fish special which sounds really delicate and buttery. With $75, what’s fun?”

3. “We’re sharing the lamb and the mushroom risotto. Something that will stand up to both those dishes. We like a bit of fruit, but nothing too acidic or oaky.”

5. Stall if needed: still unsure? Buy yourself time (and more alcohol). Order a glass (or cocktail!) to start, let the food land, and regroup. This is not procrastination — this is strategy.

The Presentation

1. Check the label: They’ll present the bottle and announce the name and vintage (“Here’s La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva, 2018”). Your job is simple but important: confirm that it’s the wine you ordered. Don’t forget your reading glasses — it could cost you.
   
   A couple quick horror stories from Megumi on why this matters…
   

   A $300 oops: as a server, I misheard a couple’s order and brought them the wrong wine. I presented it, they nodded, and drank the entire bottle. Then came their check… and were very upset because the bottle cost twice the one they thought they ordered. Moral of the story: Always check the label!

   
   Vintage vigilante: A server once brought my parents a Bordeaux, but from a different vintage than what they ordered. They reassured my parents it wouldn’t cost more since the bottle was older, not newer. Unfortunately for the poor guy, my dad is a huge wine nerd. He knew the older vintage was actually worse, and therefore did not want to pay the same amount. Yes, my dad asked for the wine list again. Yes, this explains so much about me.
   

2. Pick your taster: usually, the person who ordered the bottle will be asked to taste, but often the somm/server will just ask, “Who would like to taste?” It’s your time to shine.
   

3. Look at, don’t sniff, the cork: sniffing the cork doesn’t really tell you anything. Instead, check the end that was in the bottle. It should be wet, which means the wine was stored on its side (a good sign). Obviously, this does not apply to screwcap wines (which are just as worthy of your respect and affection!).
   

4. The quality check: you’ll be poured a small taste. Swirl, sniff, and take a sip. This is your moment to check for wine flaws, not to change your mind. Here’s what to look (and smell) for:

   1. Corked wine: smells like wet cardboard, musty basement, or newspaper

   2. Oxidized: tastes cooked or very vinegar-y

   3. Volatile acidity: nail polish remover vibes

If it’s flawed, let the server or somm know. They’ll likely confirm and replace the bottle. But if the wine is fine and just not what you imagined? Too bad. Unless the bottle is also sold by the glass, most places won’t replace it for personal taste.

So, if it’s all good? Just smile and say, “this is great!” or give them a thumbs up. We’ll finally move onto…

5. Pour and drink: The server will pour for the rest of the table typically in this order: ladies first, then gentlemen, then the person who tasted (chivalry isn’t dead). Cheers!

Do’s and Dont's

Congrats, grads! This is just the beginning of your pairing journey — and we can’t wait to hear what you drink and munch on next,

Sophia & Megumi

P.S. Don’t worry, this is only the beginning. We hear a holiday issue may already be in the works…

P.P.S. Thanks to everyone who joined us at the NYC launch of Wine, Women & Wisdom last week! We had a blast trying amazing cabernet francs from New York and meeting a diverse group of incredible women. Follow me on Instagram to stay posted about the next event!