Wine etiquette when dining out
 

I will confess that I am not well-versed in the finer arts of dining out. I enjoy a nice glass of wine, am not knowledgeable about labels, vintages, etc (but do have a general idea of the types or 'flavors' I like).<BR>Neither my husband nor I drink more than a glass each usually. My question is - if we were to order a bottle, or even a half-bottle of wine with dinner, what is done with the wine that remains in the bottle? Is it acceptable to take back to the hotel for later consumption? Or is it more appropriate to enjoy what you can and leave the rest? Thanks for your instruction.

This is rarely a problem for us, I must say, as we can finish a bottle over dinner. However, in the US if I had more than a half bottle of good wine left, I would take it with me. I don't think I've been faced with the problem in Europe, but will be interested to see what fodorites say.

You won't have much trouble taking the remainder of the bottle out with you at a lot of places. <BR><BR>But it might depend on what country. And in Italy, there seems to be a greater tendency to offer some decent wines &quot;by carafe&quot; and they will literally only charge you for what you drink - - and they might well move your half full carafe directly to another table when you leave - - or go add to it first.<BR><BR>I have also been pleasantly surprised at how readily accepted is bringing your own bottle in, and so then, of course, it is fine for you to take back home with you the unfinished portion.<BR><BR>I find that an enoteca makes for a great place to learn about wines. Many will have a half dozen bottles or so opened to let you buy by the glass, and then they will help you sample some others (you buy the whole bottle first before they open it for you to taste). This is a great way to have half bottles left over for picnic lunches in subsequent days - - of wines you know you like. Or by the same token you can buy an extra bottle or two to take with you to dinner that night or later in your trip. Now, I have never gone as far as to take a previously opened botle into a restaurant for dinner. That would be stepping over a boundary, surely.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

I can't answer about taking undrunk wine home with you. I've never seen anything left in our bottle.<BR>The good news is that there are many wines -- including really good ones -- available by the half bottle, especially in France, a little less so in Italy. I would think for the two of you a half-bottle should be fine, hardly more than a glass apiece.

Patrick has it right.

If we don't finish the wine and there is a lot left, we tell the waitress that they are welcome to it. <BR>Otherwise, we just leave it on the table. Some restaurants will ask if you want them to recork it and take it with you.<BR>Of course, this is in the US and the way we drink, happens very seldom;)

Another wine question. When dining at a fine restaurant in Paris, can you just order a carafe of vin ordinaire or vin de la maison. Or are you expected to order a good bottle of wine?

Not to mention that if you do take what's left back to the hotel to be drunk (or drank(?)) at a later date, it won't taste the same. And you might not like it.

Since I don't drink more than a glass of wine at a meal,when we were alone, my husband always ordered by the glass in fine restaurants in Paris. <BR>Of course, when we were with friends, we ordered more than one bottle. Le Violon D'Ingres, I remember, had excellent wines.

I grew up in an Irish community in New York where the only wine we knew had an &quot;h&quot; in it. Is it proper etiquette for wine to be drunk right from the bottle as my friends drink it?<BR><BR>Pat

I cannot recall in all my trips to Europe my ever leaving any wine in the bottle. <BR><BR>When I am fortunate enough to get a wonderful Chateauneuf du Pape or Brunello.... there is NEVER any left and my wife has to restrain me from ordering another bottle!<BR><BR>US

From what I recall from my trip to Paris Last year, the fixed price menus would often include a small caraffe of the house wine (enough for 2 &amp; a bit glasses I think).

I think there is a technical problem in taking home your leftover wine from restaurants in UK. Here most restaurants have what is called 'on-licence', meaning permitting comsumption of alcohol on the premises. Unless they have 'off-licence' as well, they cannot legally sell alcohol for comsumption away from their premises. I said &quot;technically&quot; because I don't know the exact position of bottles part consumed inside and part to be drunk outside. I have known cases where customers have been prevented from taking away their partly-consumed, often fine wines on those grounds.

Alice: What Rex said! He is right on.

In the state of Pennsylvania you can not take any alcoholic product out of a restaurant or bar, except for two six-packs of unopened beer or malt coolers (but not wine coolers). It is against our liquor laws.

Alice, living in Scotland and having worked in restaurants of all calibres when I was younger, I would say the following is true:-<BR><BR>It's really naff to take away undrunk wine. You can always order it by the glass or carafe and half carafe. On mainland Europe, the house will almost always be perfectly palatable but drinking by glass or carafe will almost certainly mean you don't have access to the better vintages. Good restaurants will have a small selection of half bottles.<BR><BR>If you leave a lot of wine in a bottle, it will probably be drunk by the staff, but people just don't do it. If it's not much, it will be poured away. If you are staying in a hotel or intend to use a restaurant more than once, it's quite OK to ask them to cork the bottle and keep it till your next meal

Alice, for the amount of wine I would echo the comments about a half carafe. Typically it is about a glass and half apiece.<BR><BR>As far as types and flavors, I would humbly submit these general guides: When eating beef order a cabernet savignon; fish and chicken are best suited with a white zinfandel; pasta with red sauce goes with merlots; pasta with white sauce matches well with chardonnays.<BR><BR>These may not match your personal preferences completely, but they are a safe starting point.

It's your wine, you paid for it, certainly take it w/you.

Brad wrote<BR>&gt;I would humbly submit these general guides: When eating beef order a cabernet savignon....pasta with white sauce matches well with chardonnays.&lt;<BR><BR> No one has flamed him yet. Is everyone asleep?

Ira, you're rabble-rousing, aincha?<BR>I'm still recvoering from the news that white zinafandel is good with anything.<BR>Seriously, if Brad likes those combos, fine, but I wouldn't suggest them to someone like Alice, who seems to still be learning about wine. Also, it seems to me that European winemakers are less likely to specify the varietal than American winemakers, so Alice could go nuts trying to figure out what a wine is made from.

Lol, Ira, you devil!!<BR>I would drive someone like Brad up a tree! I prefer red wines and might get caught sipping a Rhone with my fish dinner!! (gasp)

If all you want is a glass each, then that's what you order, and you won't have to worry during the meal about what to do if any remains and about carrying it to and fro. And if you want another glass, then order it when you want it. That's what we do.<BR><BR>You should know about what you want, red or white, cabernet, chardonnay, etc. Obviously, since you are not wine connoisseurs, you don't need the &quot;premium&quot; wines, and after the first sip, they will all taste good.<BR><BR>I can't imagine bringing your own bottle in. Unless you are bringing in an expensive wine, it's not worth it.<BR><BR>We don't match the wine to the food. We like pinot grigio or chardonnay and that's what we get. Wine is meant to be enjoyed, not worried about.<BR><BR>If you are still concerned about what to do if you get a bottle and some remains, I would say it depends on how much remains.

First of all, thanks to everyone for a) responding to my question and b) not flaming me :)<BR>I think the demi-bottle or the 1/2 carafe will work fine as alternatives to single glass per person. I do prefer reds such as merlots, zinfandels and caberets, but am open to the occasional white. I'd certainly let the waitperson assist me if the dining circumstances seem to warrant a more special choice. And, we'll leave the remainder behind (but work hard not to make it necessary!)<BR>Feel free now to move on to more important inquiries, such as 'worst hotel in Paris' and 'best daytrips from Amsterdam' :)

I'll just suggest that anyone who suggests drinking a white zin w/anything is not a wine drinker. Please excuse yourself.

Let me understand this...? Certainly if you have food left over, you have the option of taking it home, why would anyone leave wine on the table (unless dining w/Brad &amp; drinking the white zin) ??

It's my understanding one shouldn't take leftover food &quot;home&quot; while in Europe, thus my inquiry regarding rules around leftover wine. Also, not so easy to store food and most places don't have 'take-out' containers for it.<BR>Wine, however, is in a container, so wasn't sure what to expect there.<BR>Personally, don't care for 'white' zin or roses, but zinfandel (which is a red) is quite nice.

Oh my, Ira is so right. When I read about the white zin, I freaked. <BR><BR>White zinfandel usually has a high degree of residual sugar (RS) which does not lend itself well to food pairing. Just like there are few dinners that you would sprinkle sugar on your meal, so is the same with white zin. White zin (zinfandel is a red grape but is vintified with a short exposure to the skins whereby the red color does not fully leach into the wine-creating a &quot;blush&quot; wine) is best drunk as an aperitif or in some cases with slightly spicy asian food. <BR><BR>Another point I want to make, most Europeans do not drink the expensive wines that we like to impress others with. Most drink the wines of the region and have adapted many local menus to reflect the local wine. Don't assume all european waiters are well versed in all wines of Europe or other areas.

Speaking of white zinfandel:<BR><BR>Saw a funny little Christopher Durang play the other night in which an obnoxious ex-girlfriend comes to visit with a man and his wife. For a cocktail she asks for Kool-aid with vodka. Next scene, they're in a restaurant and she's saying to the waiter, &quot;I can't believe you didn't have Kool-Aid&quot;. The waiter replies, &quot;I brought you white zinfandel, that's as close as I could get.&quot;

drink it up!<BR>