Wine Service for the Beginning Bartender

Follow these easy steps to open and serve a bottle of wine.

When presenting the bottle, always wipe it off and polish with a clean towel. Place the bottle on a clean towel and present the bottle to the customer. The label should face the customer. When doing this, use a professional waiter's wine key. Cut the capsule (foil or plastic) off below the ridge on the upper neck of the bottle. Make a clean straight cut for the appearance. Hold the wine screw next to the top of the bottle. Compare the length of the screw with the length of the cork. You must know how far you can screw the opener into the cork without penetrating the bottom of the cork.

Screw the cork screw ¾ of the way into the cork. Do not penetrate the bottom of the cork. The lever should be about level with the top of the bottle. If the corkscrew has penetrated though the bottom of the cork, you will see small pieces of cork floating in the wine. Do not serve this bottle of wine to the customer. Start over with a fresh bottle. The first bottle of wine can be saved by straining the wine through a clean coffee filter into a carafe and served by the glass. Move the lever to the lip of the bottle. It should fit flush against the lip of the bottle. Place your thumb on the end of the wine key for leverage. Begin to extract the cork, using firm and even pressure. Do not try to jerk the cork out, as it may break.4

Continue to pull on the cork until it is completely out. Long corks require an easy touch and a little patience. Place the cork to the right of the customers place setting. Do not expect the customer to inspect or sniff the cork on a low-priced bottle of wine. The cork may be presented on a napkin in an upscale establishment. Pour 1 ½ ounces of wine for the host to sample. The person who ordered the wine is the one who should sample the wine. Wine is always served from the right-hand side of the customer. Pour five to six ounces of wine in the host's glass, about two thirds full. Fill all other wine glasses. Start right of the host, and proceed counter-clockwise around the table. In a social situation, you may serve women first, by generation, oldest first. Proper wine service dictates that red wine be served in a red wine glass and white wine be served in a white wine glass. The appropriate glass sixe is 8 ½ to 10 ounces. http://ezinearticles.com/?Wine-Service-for-the-Beginning-Bartender&id=7688641