Can You Get the Best Wine from Sommeliers?

For many, ordering wine in a restaurant can be nerve wracking, even for a wine lover. You’re there with friends or a date. This can be especially true when a sommelier comes to the table. Sommeliers should know a lot about wine, and they can often recite even extensive wine lists with hundreds of options backwards and forwards. This may seem like entering a maze, but it can be fun if you turn the sommelier experience into a game, or at the very least an eventful quest to get the best wine possible. You can get the best wine from sommeliers.

Facing a sommelier and a large wine list can feel intimidating, but if you engage with the sommelier this leads to an enjoyable dining experience. Here are some tips on how to communicate effectively with sommeliers to obtain the perfect wine.

Tips for Getting the Best out of Sommeliers

Establish a Rapport and the Basics

Wine expert Mark Oldman of Bevinars gets the ball rolling by saying something like, “This is great list, but I’m not familiar with a lot of the wines. Can you help me?” Then indicate the basic parameters. Are you thinking of a red wine, white wine, rosé wine, or sparkling wine. A good sommelier will then guide you.

Relax and Stay Authentic

A sommelier’s role is to make you comfortable and find wines you’ll enjoy, regardless of your spending limit or wine knowledge.

That said, the conversation with the sommelier can also be more intricate, ensuring you received the best wine for your taste. Oldman says that one must keep in mind “the sommelier’s obligation to provide good service often runs counter to his or her need to maximize restaurant profits.” But there’s ways around that.

Share Wine Preferences and Past Experiences:

Briefly tell the sommelier about wines you’ve enjoyed previously—photos or notes can be helpful. Do you have refreshing wine? Is a particularly complex wine your thing? Identifying patterns in your preferences helps the sommelier make tailored recommendations. Be open to trying new regions or grapes.

Discuss Budget, Either Openly or Discretely:

You can simply state a budget, giving a range. You can also share your price range discreetly by pointing to a similar price on the menu. “I was thinking of something like this.” Sommeliers should aim to maximize the best quality within your budget.

Be Honest and Curious

If you have something very specific in mind, tell the somm your likes and dislikes, or alternatively, your openness to new experiences. “I only like northern Rhone wines,” for instance will be a great clue. This collaboration helps the sommelier guide your journey through the wine list.

Establish Mood or Style Preferences

Sharing whether you want something familiar or adventurous and describe general wine traits you enjoy, such as fruity or peppery flavors. If you want, allow your guest(s) to chime in as well.

Provide Specifics When Possible

Briefly list wines or categories you usually drink. This concrete information shapes the sommelier’s suggestions and ensures satisfaction. He also notes you can politely reject a wine that doesn’t suit your taste.

Explore and Communicate

Know your own palate but don’t be rigid. You can say, “I love Pinot Noir, but I’d like to try something different along the same lines.” Being adventurous while remaining honest is the right move. If you dislike a recommendation, say so—the goal is your enjoyment.

Don’t Obsess over Food Pairing

Of course the sommelier will try to consider food pairing in making recommendations, but don’t get too caught up in this trope. Personal taste should always outweigh rigid food pairing rules.

Be Critical of Pairing Menus

Fixed priced tasting menus can be a good deal, or they can represent the restaurant’s attempt to move stock that otherwise isn’t selling. Take a good, hard look at the paired wines before choosing this option.

Exploit Wines by the Glass

If you see the list offers a wine or wines by the glass that interest you, don’t hesitate to ask for a sample. A little sip will tell you a lot. The worst the sommelier will say is, “no,” notes Mark Oldman. If you like it, order a bottle for the table.

Ask about Restaurant Team Favorites:

What is the sommelier’s go-to wine? What does the chef like to drink? Such wines are often less obvious, with a good price, and interesting. You may even encounter some wines not on the list. Oldman notes too that sommeliers “like to underprice certain wines because they are personal favorites.”

Remember the Value of Storytelling in Wine

Ask about the history and philosophy behind a bottle that catches your eye. This can tell you a lot, test the somm’s knowledge, and will make the wine much more enjoyable and memorable.

Ask about the Big Fish from the Little Ponds

Ask about super examples from smaller, lesser known wine regions or wines made from less common grapes. Explore! Excellent wines are produced all over the world these days, and you may come across a treasure. The sommelier should know the best example from even the most obscure appellations and grapes.

Engage in a Conversation about the Best Wines from Value Regions

By focusing your search on nations like Portugal, Argentina, Spain, and South Africa and then asking the sommelier for the top recommendation from the value regions, you will often be tasting excellent wine at a much cheaper price than, say, ordering grand crus from Bordeaux, Champagne, or Bourgogne.

Getting a Great Wine in a Restaurant

By sharing preferences, asking questions about delicious wine, and collaborating, diners can enhance their wine experience and discover exciting new options.

Engaging with a sommelier can elevate your dining experience from routine to remarkable. By establishing a rapport, sharing your preferences, and staying open to new ideas, you create a partnership that transforms selecting a wine into an enjoyable adventure. Sommeliers are there to guide, not judge, and their expertise can uncover hidden gems or introduce you to regions and grapes you might never have considered.

Remember, the best wine isn’t necessarily the most expensive—it’s the one that complements the moment, the meal, and your personal taste. A little curiosity and honesty go a long way in ensuring that every pour adds to your enjoyment. So, the next time you’re handed a daunting wine list, take a deep breath, summon your inner explorer, and let the sommelier lead the way.

And if you’d like to build even more wine confidence, consider taking a virtual wine class with Mark Oldman through Bevinars. It’s a fun, approachable way to boost your wine savvy from the comfort of home.

Charlie Leary

A member of the Circle of Wine Writers, Charlie Leary has directed restaurant wine programs in the US, Canada, Costa Rica, and France. In the mid 1990s, while earning a PhD from Cornell University, he made artisanal cheeses and counted among the first North Americans inducted into the Guilde International des Fromagers; he later planned, planted, and managed an IGP vineyard in Andalusia.

His book-length guide to worldwide wine education programs (Leary’s Global Wineology) was first published in 2022, in part based on his experience earning numerous wine certifications. His feature articles have appeared in Decanter magazine, Jane Anson’s Inside Bordeaux, JancisRobinson.com, Sommelier Business, Hudin.com, and Tim Atkin MW’s website, among others. He recently consulted for the wine metaverse startup Second Winery and wrote a detailed report on the history of wine sensory analysis for the Wine Scholar Guild. Charlie now lives in Panama, where he offers wine classes, and is writing a book on the philosopher Montesquieu as an eighteenth century winegrower. IG: @bacopty