At the bar and not sure what to drink

There will be many times you’re in a new place with unfamiliar sounds, people and menus. In fact, if this sounds odd to you…then I really do suggest you branch out and explore your city some more.

Some places will veer in the direction of ‘tourist’. The wine offerings here might just make you or someone you’re with shed a silent tear for the grapes that could have been. Other places will have leather bound anthologies of their expansive wine cellars…those aren’t tears, they’re the cold sweat of being faced with too many choices.

So what to do?

Defer to the most knowledgeable person at the table. This is seriously not the time to be arrogant about your wine smarts, people. Sometimes…you’ll be that person. It’ll feel good, people will be impressed when you make a solid suggestion and all will be merry and fun. But part of the fun of wine is how it brings people together. If you’re always making the choices, you might miss out on something unexpectedly wonderful that never would have been your selection. This is also the easiest way to keep learning.

See what the waiter says. I admittedly don’t find myself in the vicinity of a true sommelier all that often. But, I will ask the person taking our order for their opinion from time to time. Sometimes they panic a little bit, while you quickly realize they’re not really the wine sipping type. But other times they really know the menu and can steer you in the right direction or validate the one you are considering.

Figure out what’s considered ‘expensive’ or ‘cheap’ on the menu. There is no rule here. Some places don’t have a glass of wine under $15 (and at the lower end is icky plonk) while others will have firesale priced dreamboat selections for under $8.

Determine your budget…and sense of adventure. Willing to see if lower end offerings rock your socks? Or are you celebrating and want to indulge? Either way, know you’re boundaries and how okay you’ll be if the wine ends up disappointing.

If at first your tastebuds say no…try something else! And even if they say yes, don’t be afraid to branch out and sample another selection on the menu anyway – the first step to knowing is trying…what do you really have to lose?