{"id":11370,"date":"2022-03-31T20:29:25","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T03:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/?page_id=11370"},"modified":"2025-10-02T09:39:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:39:27","slug":"how-to-choose-wine-from-a-wine-list","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/how-to-choose-wine-from-a-wine-list\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Choose Wine from a Wine List"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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You love wine, you love food. It\u2019s a match made in heaven! But if you\u2019re new to wine or if you tend to get overwhelmed when you look at a restaurant wine list, this blog\u2019s for you.<\/p>

Take heart\u2014wine can be very intimidating. After all, there\u2019s a lot to know, and it\u2019s complicated! When you\u2019re out with friends or you want to impress your date, there\u2019s nothing more nerve-wracking than thinking you\u2019re going to make a poor decision.<\/p>

So today, let\u2019s look at a few ways you can ease the stress of choosing wine in a restaurant. And while we can\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll love everything you buy, you can certainly reduce the risk and maybe learn something new along the way.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"BuyWineResturant\"<\/figure>

How to Buy Wine in a Restaurant<\/h3>

You\u2019re at the table, the server hands you the wine list. What now? \n

\n1. Do they have a sommelier?<\/strong>
\nIf the restaurant has a sommelier, do not hesitate to ask to speak with them. They are the de facto experts on their wine list so they can help you narrow down your choices. Be sure you know what you want to spend and be prepared to answer some questions, and don\u2019t be afraid to ask some of your own!\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Choose wines by the glass instead of a bottle<\/strong><\/p>

Restaurants with good wine lists often have several by-the-glass options. The great thing about going by the glass is that you might be able to try a couple of different wines, so the exploration potential is greater. Also, you can ask to taste the wine first before you commit as they\u2019ll likely have it open. If you are interested in trying several wines, don\u2019t be afraid to ask if they have \u201ctasting pours.\u201d That means you\u2019ll be able to try smaller portions and perhaps try three or four wines. Not all restaurants will accommodate, but it never hurts to ask!<\/p>

3.<\/strong> Decide how much you want to pay<\/strong>
You might think the server or sommelier will judge you based on your price range, but that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. In fact, staying within your price range gives you a strong starting point. The sommelier might suggest something that is a few dollars more if they feel it\u2019s a better choice, but they should not force you to spend a lot more\u2014that\u2019s just bad business.<\/p>

4. Consider what you\u2019re going to eat<\/strong>
There aren\u2019t too many \u201cwrong\u201d answers where wine is concerned, but as long as you avoid big bold reds with spicy food or dishes with lighter sauces, you\u2019re probably okay. Choose lighter wines at the beginning of the meal and save the heavyweights for the main course.<\/p>

5. Try something new<\/strong>
You might be craving a specific wine\u2014and that\u2019s totally okay. Enjoy! But make a point of venturing out of your comfort zone now and then as that\u2019s when some of the most surprising discoveries occur. Ease into it with lateral moves; for example, if you know you like cabernet sauvignon from California, why not try one from Chile or Argentina instead? Getting to know a varietal that way helps you identify the similarities\u2014and the differences\u2014between countries and regions that make similar wines. Don\u2019t be afraid to explore! <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Are you ready for your next wine adventure? Sign up for a wine
club subscription today<\/a><\/span>!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sign Up For Exclusive Wine Deals<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We never share your personal information. View our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You love wine, you love food. It\u2019s a match made in heaven! But if you\u2019re new to wine or if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11371,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11370","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11370"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67906,"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11370\/revisions\/67906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cellarswineclub.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}