I fail to understand why simple wine service in many restaurants is so poor. I’m not talking Riedel versus other glasses — I’m talking getting any glass to the table, since it winds up costing the establishment money.
The Marriott Hotel near the Albany, N.Y. airport, where I was staying and eating dinner last week, has a short but reasonable wine list with a few wines by the half bottle and by the glass. I ordered a half bottle of a 2002 Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon to go with what turned out to be an excellent braised shank of pork.
The missteps started when, in anticipation of ordering a glass of sparkling wine, I asked to see the bottle of Marwood, an Italian Spumante unknown to me. It looked promising. It was imported by Palm Bay, a company with a reliable portfolio, and I thought it would go well with slightly spicy tempura shrimp appetizer.
The bottle was half full and stoppered with a regular cork, presumably to preserve the fizz. The waitress disappeared and returned with an open, but re-stoppered, half bottle of Domaine Chandon, explaining that the bartender felt the Marwood was not in good condition and he suggested a substitute.
Always wanting to try an unfamiliar wine, I thank her for the suggestion, but told her that I preferred the Italian wine. She disappeared again, this time for much longer, before reappearing — well after I had finished the tasty shrimp — with a glass of Marwood. At that point, I had to send it back, since I had wanted it with the appetizer. She explained, somewhat in a huff, that she had to find a new bottle, which delayed her.
So why does the bartender keep an easy to identify (it’s not hard to tell when the bubbles are gone) flawed bottle of sparkling wine? And why not have a back-up bottle ready to pour when you discover a lifeless bottle of fizz?
It’s a lose-lose situation. The customer is disappointed, and instead of remembering the delicious pork shank, he remembers the missing glass of sparkling wine. The restaurant loses the almost pure profit from pouring a glass of wine. And the waitress loses a larger tip. Hello, anybody home?
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