Save Money While Ordering Wine

According to the Wall Street Journal, following these 10 simple suggestions that can help you find value while ordering wine at a restaurant.

1. Skip wine by the glass.  “Restaurateurs like to make enough on a single glass to pay for a whole bottle, which is great for them but not so great for you. And it wouldn’t be so bad except that so many wines by the glass are poured from bottles that have been open for too long and mistreated after opening.”  So opt out of having wine by the glass, and go for half the bottle.  

2. Check the vintage closely.  “Most wines are meant to drink young and fresh and many restaurants, especially informal restaurants, don’t keep their wines in perfect conditions.”  Many restaurants, due to the lower demand, are in no rush to replenish their inventory with recent vintages, which in turn mean that wines that were brought a while back needed to of already been drunken but are being served now.

(If the wine list says that the wine is, say, 2007 and you get the 2006, tell the waiter you really would like the 2007.)

3. Bypass the second-cheapest wine on the list.  “Restaurateurs know that diners don’t want to appear cheap by ordering the least expensive wine on the list, so they’ll hose you for ordering the second-cheapest. The least expensive is actually a pretty good deal at many places.”

4. Scope out the owner’s passion for value. “If there are, say, a dozen wines from South Africa on the list and no more than a handful from anywhere else, chances are the owner knows and cares about South African wine — and therefore is more likely to know good values from there.”

5. Avoid the Chardonnay tax.  Did you know that America’s favorite wine is Chardonnay?  It is, which in turn is why it is featured on so many menus and usually overpriced compared to other wines.  Try one of the less-popular wines such as Riesling or Austria’s Grüner-Veltliner. 

6. Never order Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.  “We know many people like it and that’s fine. But because so many people like it, it is routinely one of the most outrageously priced wines on the list.”  Try and push yourself out of your comfort zone and try wines that you do not know, because if not you will be hurting pocket wise.  “No wine is going to seem like a good value to you when you know you could buy it at a local store for half the price or less. That’s why it’s so important to focus on labels or kinds of wines that you wouldn’t otherwise see.”  You never know, you might find something you really like.

7. Don’t ignore house wines, by the bottle or in carafes.  “People who travel around the world often tell us they wish more American restaurants offered the simple, inexpensive and delightful wines that seem ubiquitous in Europe and elsewhere.”

8. Look for half-price deals.  “Look around and you are likely to find a deal like that in your neighborhood. Some places are even offering half price deals by region — say, 50% off French wines one week and Italian another week.”

9. BYOB.  “Check around for restaurants that allow you to bring your own wine. And if there is a restaurant you know well, ask if you could bring your own wine and pay corkage.”  The point of doing this isn’t just to save money, but to have wines that the restaurant doesn’t offer or that you might otherwise postpone opening, says the The Wall Street Journal.

10. Have it your way.  No wine is worth it if you do not enjoy it.  “Restaurants, now more than ever, are eager for you to have a good experience so you will come back. Don’t be shy.”