Buying, Storing, & Serving Wine Flashcards
Learn the key hacks for ordering wine online, interpreting labels, and treating wine the way it deserves, from storing it in the right place to optimizing the tasting experience.
Aside from convenience, why should you try buying your wine online?
Online stores stock a much greater diversity of wines than your local liquor store.
Most liquor stores push big-name, commercial brands that are guaranteed sells with only a small section devoted to unique varietals, styles, and producers.
Online, however, you can find unique, small-batch wines that are both delicious and affordable; rare and expensive wines to squirrel away for special occasions; AND wines from all over the world.
What are the two approaches for buying wine online?
- Find an online wine retailer that serves your area
- Buy directly from a winery using their online store
A good online wine retailer will supply tens of thousands of labels from all over the world. Plus, they’re easy to find: just ask Google! Examples: wine.com; nakedwines.com, and accidentalwine.com.
Many wineries also have online stores and will ship their wines directly to you. This is a nice way to do things if you have joined their membership club, which usually entitles you to a 10-15% discount on all purchases.
Which U.S. states do not permit direct-to-consumer shipments from licensed wineries?
Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Utah
If you live in these states, you won’t be able to buy your wine directly from any wineries anywhere in the world. Party poopers.
What five basic criteria can you use to help you buy wine from a store?
These can help you make a decision when you’re overwhelmed by floor-to-ceiling shelves of hundreds, if not thousands of wines!
- The broad category of wine you want (red, white, sweet, sparkling)
- The style of wine you prefer (off-dry, light-bodied Riesling vs. dry, full-bodied Cabernet)
- The regions you’d like to try (Australian, French, Chilean, etc.)
- The budget you have to work with (inexpensive, mid-priced, or high-end)
- The number of bottles you’d like (for one dinner or an entire month)
Pro Tip: Many (particularly online) wine stores offer discounts or free shipping / delivery for larger orders, such as when you buy a case (12) of wine or spend more than $200… so it’s worth considering buying in bulk!
If all of this boggles your mind, check out our YouTube video: ‘How to buy wine (when you know next to nothing)’
What are three ways you can reduce how much you spend on wine?
Besides drinking less snort laugh
- Shop on Tuesdays when most stores run specials
- Bulk shop on Black Friday and in January when discounts are offered
- Join a loyalty or membership program
Why join a loyalty program?
- Some retailers kick off your membership with a discount voucher off your first order.
- Others have a points system, which, over time, tally up and can be used to buy more wine.
- Some ship you monthly cases of carefully selected wines (for a nice price).
- Others offer a standard 10-15% discount off all wine orders.
These are just a few of the delicious benefits on offer, depending on the retailer or winery.
What’s the best time of the week to shop for wine?
Tuesdays
According to the mobile shopping app Ibotta, which analyzed 50 million receipts submitted by its users, Tuesdays are the best days to shop for wine because many wine stores offer specials and discounts. For example, AstorWines.com offers 15% off every Tuesday.
Saturdays and Sundays, on the other hand, are the most expensive days to buy wine.
What are typically the best times of year to stock up on wine?
- Black Fridays
- The month of January
Black Fridays are the best-known annual discount event for wine; although be wary of stores that craftily raise the prices of their wares in the weeks prior, only to offer huge discounts on their massively inflated prices.
The month of January is also notorious for excellent deals because, in the lean months following the festive season, retailers try to move inventory and keep the money flowing.
The point is: with a bit of planning and bulk ordering, you can end up paying 10, 20, or even 30% less per bottle of wine!
What are three ways you can improve your chances of getting free or heavily-discounted shipping for your wine orders?
- Order in bulk
- Pick your order up from a local collection point
- Order well in advance
Bulk ordering allows you to benefit from discounts and free shipping, depending on the retailer.
Picking your order up from a local collection point avoids steep straight-to-doorstep / home delivery fees.
Ordering well in advance avoids you having to pay expensive overnight / expedited delivery fees in order to get the wine in time for your celebration or event.
For a deeper dive, read: How to buy wine online (and where to shop)
What is the name for the professional who recommends the perfect wine according to your meal choice, personal preferences, and budget?
Sommelier
Feeling intimidated by the wine list? A good sommelier balances their vast wine knowledge with a benevolent tableside manner. So, no matter how shoddy your wine knowledge is, they will treat you with respect and gently guide you towards the best wine pairing.
If, however, you feel the sommelier is mercilessly trying to steer you towards the most expensive wines, or is sneering at your lack of knowledge, feel free to express your displeasure to them, the manager, or leave a crappy Yelp review.
If the restaurant you’re at doesn’t have a Sommelier, who’s the next best person to speak to to get a good wine recommendation?
- Your server
- The manager
- Google it!
If the server doesn’t know the wine list well (many restaurants in the low- to medium-priced range don’t give their staff much wine training), ask the manager.
Failing that, whip out your phone and ask Google or use a wine app.
How can you ask a sommelier/server for a good wine recommendation if you’ve got a strict budget?
and it’s a little embarrassing to say so
“What is your favorite wine for under $80?”
or whatever you’re comfortable spending.
Alternatively, if you’re worried about looking like a cheapskate in front of your date, you might ask more euphemistically:
- “What are you loving right now that’s around X dollars?”
- “What are some simple wines that are a great value?”
- “What are some wines with [characteristic X] that are ‘not too crazy fancy’?”
Or, you can even get up from the table to “use the restroom” and speak to the sommelier in private.
This gets the uncomfortable subject of money out of the way, enabling the sommelier/server to work within your budget and it saves you a nasty surprise when the bill comes.
Aside from budget, what # 1 criterion should you consider when ordering or buying wine?
The meal you intend on pairing it with.
What you want to eat—more specifically its weight, complexity, and flavor profile—is paramount in choosing the perfect wine.
Ask the sommelier/server: “We’d like to order the Greek pizza / sea bass / filet mignon / quarter-pounder with cheese (just kidding), etc. What wine do you recommend to go with it?”
If the restaurant you’re eating at has a sommelier or wine manager, what four questions could you ask them to make the most of their knowledge and skills?
- “We’d like to order X (food). What wine do you recommend to go with it?”
- “I usually like X (wine). Do you have any wines that are similar in style to that?”
- “What on the wine list is exciting to you right now?”
- “Could you tell me a little more about this particular vintage / bottling / cuvée?”
Usually, the questions you ask the sommelier (like #1 and 2) are geared at giving them information about your preferences.
In the case of #3 and 4, however, it’s quite entertaining to open the floor to the sommelier and watch them flex their wine knowledge, which can add an exciting, educational dimension to your dining experience.
And if you remember what they tell you—particularly about vintages and which years were good for what wine—you can use this knowledge to inform your buying decisions going forward.
Read: 5 Questions to ask your sommelier so you can sound smart
True or false
More expensive wines are always better in quality
FALSE
While it’s true that more expensive wines are likely made in smaller batches, with more attention to detail, or from better quality grapes, there isn’t always an absolute correlation between price and quality.
Some wines are expensive because they come from prestigious, internationally-famed regions and while they uphold certain standards, there are likely many other, much cheaper wines from lesser-known regions that are just as good and, in cases, better.
Watch: Is expensive with worth it?
What five important things does a wine label tell you?
- Who - the producer or estate that made the wine
- What - which grapes were used to make it
- Where - in which region, sub-region, or vineyard the grapes were grown
- How - the style in which the wine was made
- When - the year the wine was made (vintage)
For example: Moët & Chandon Blanc de Blanc Brut:
- The producer is Moët & Chandon, one of the world’s best-known makers of Champagne.
- The region is Champagne in France.
- Since only Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Muniere is grown in Champagne, this Blanc de Blanc (white of whites) is made from mostly, if not 100% Chardonnay.
- In order to be called a “Champagne” we know this wine was made in the traditional Champagne method.
- Since the label doesn’t detail the year in which the wine was made, we can assume it to be a non-vintage wine.
Non-vintage means that wines from several vintages were blended together to craft the wine. This is often done so as to maintain as much consistency of flavors and aromas as possible over the years.
What does the term Old Vine or Vieilles Vignes indicate on a bottle of wine?
That the vines are older and, assumingly, grow grapes that express higher flavor concentration.
To achieve the distinction of Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes, a vine usually has to be at least 35 years old but there is no legally defined age minimum.
Why do some wine labels mention the type of grapes used and others don’t?
In many non-European countries, wines are named after the estate and the grape from which they’re made.
But in many European countries, the tradition is to name wines after the geographic region, village, or even vineyard from which they come.
The fact that European countries don’t mention the grape varietal on the label can make it difficult for you to know what to expect.
What you’ll need to learn is what grape varietals are typically grown in which European (particularly French) regions. For example, in Burgundy, France the vast majority of red wines are made from Pinot Noir and white wines, Chardonnay. It’s literally written into their law.
Similarly, Rhône reds (France) are typically made from Syrah; red Riojas (Spain) typically—but not always—from Tempranillo; and Chianti Classico (Italy) from Sangiovese, etc.
You’ve ordered a glass of wine in a restaurant and it tastes astringent, flat, and overall unpleasant. What should you do?
Politely ask the server to bring you a fresh glass of the same wine, but from a newly-opened bottle OR request a different wine, entirely.
Do NOT suffer through a bad glass of wine! As long as you are polite, you are not inconveniencing the restaurant by sending a bad glass or bottle back.
Oftentimes, what happens in restaurants that serve wine by the glass is that the bottle of house wine that was opened the night before sits overnight and oxidizes. By the time it’s poured into your glass, it may have lost some of its freshness and fruit character, which is why you’re within your rights to ask them to open a fresh bottle for you.
Alternatively, if you just don’t like the taste of the wine you chose, you can request a new one. Again, there is nothing wrong with sending back a glass of wine! A good establishment would far rather you enjoy your experience than suffer through it.
You’ve ordered a bottle of wine in a restaurant and you suspect it may be corked or spoiled because it tastes horrible. What should you do?
Politely explain to the server that you don’t like the wine and that you suspect it may be corked. Then request that they bring you a different wine.
We suggest that you request a different wine because oftentimes it’s just the taste of the wine you don’t like (or it’s clashing with your meal) and so you won’t be solving any problems by ordering another bottle.
If, however, you know how that wine should taste and you’re certain it’s a case of spoilage, then by all means request a fresh bottle. But whatever you do, don’t suffer through bad wine because you feel bad to send it back!
How do liquor stores typically arrange their wines?
In other words: how the heck can you find what you’re looking for?
A variety of ways:
- By grape varietal
- By region
- By style
- By price
and often a combination
Some liquor stores arrange their wines by cultivar or grape varietal so, for example, all of their Pinot Noirs will be grouped together, whether they’re from France, USA, or New Zealand.
Other bottle stores group their wines by region, with one section dedicated entirely to France, another to Portugal, and another to South Africa, etc.
They may also have sections dedicated to particular styles of wine, grouping all their sparkling or fortified wines together, irrespective of provenance.
And, finally, many liquor stores will, in addition to one or more of the afore-mentioned, arrange their wine in a price hierarchy, with the most expensive bottles on the top shelf (hence the expression) and the most afforable wines on the bottom shelf.
