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I went to Deco last night for the first time in ages, and the food's still as delightful as ever. However, something has been troubling me. I ordered a bottle of wine and the waiter poured a thimbleful into my glass. I sipped it, nodded at him and he proceeded to pour us both a full glass. The reason for this scenario, which plays out in restaurants the world over, is to ascertain whether the bottle is corked before you drink it. But this was a screwtop. What was the point?

it could have been unscrewed and rescrewed?

i thought it was to ascertain that the bottle hadn't gone vinegar... which can happen even if the seal seams fine.

Perhaps, but being English even if it had tasted like, or even been, piss I would have been too polite to send it back.

You want to know if it's corked, you sniff the wine for the bouquet, not taste it.

Proper waiters and fellow diners the world over sneer at the fool putting the wine in his (they usually ask the gentleman to test, for some reason) mouth rather than under his nose.
That's etiquette, innit.

This is true. But a Parisian sommelier this chap was not. I think if after pouring the sample he had seen me sniffing the glass he would have thought I was a downy or something.

jonnohitler wrote: What was the point?

I always thought it was just to appear fancy.

I typically drink that first little pour, make a bitter beer face, and then send the first bottle back when I'm on a date.

Want them to think I know a thing or 2 about wine and fine dining.

Wine? Isn't that what POSH folk use to get sh*tfaced ?

Tradition. Screw cap wine rarely gets corked unless badly transported or stored. I used to sniff and squeeze the cork to feel if it was moist and pliable enough to seal.

You can always grab the bottle and take a chug from the neck, gargle and spit.* Love the look on their faces too.

Also the purpose of letting men trial the wine first was to make sure that cork refuse went in his glass.






*no, not ever.

They show the bottle and pour a little for 3 reasons"

1. The waiter didn't screw up and bring the wrong wine(pun)
2. The wine has not spoiled
3. Snob tradition. Imagine the romantic points you'd score if a waiter dumped a happy box on the table

Interesting trivia: a screw cap is actually better wrt the taste of the wine.

I might be wrong, but I thought the presentation of the cork originally stemmed from times gone by when labels were yet to be affixed to the bottles, so the consumer looked at the cork to find the winemakers, mark or stamp.

I'm often drunk, so I can't be sure.