The presentation of wine has a confirmatory function, that is, to show customers or guests that we have brought to the table the bottle they have chosen/ordered or that we have announced, but it also has an important informative function, that is, to provide the main data on that specific bottle. Furthermore, this “ritual” creates a truly elegant and professional atmosphere, increasing the expectation, interest and curiosity of customers/guests.

Below, our expert explains what should be said when presenting a wine at the table.

What information should be given to guests or customers during the presentation of a wine?

The presentation of wine, like every phase of service, is governed by a series of rules, established by the Wine Etiquette, which should be respected in order to behave with good manners, in full respect of guests and diners.

The key rules of wine presentation are these:

● THE BOTTLE OF WINE SHOULD BE PRESENTED ON THE LEFT: to the left of the guest or the person who ordered it. If you have organized the dinner and there are more guests, you should place yourself to the left of the most experienced person.

● THE BOTTLE OF WINE SHOULD BE PRESENTED VERTICALLY: one hand should be used to support the base of the bottle, while the other hand should be held near the neck of the bottle. At most, the bottle could be tilted slightly to make it easier to read the label.

● THE BOTTLE OF WINE SHOLUD BE PRESENTED RAISED FROM THE TABLE: it should be held in the hands without placing it on the table.

● THE BOTTLE OF WINE SHOULD BE PRESENTED WITH THE LABEL FACING THE CUSTOMER/GUEST: it is very important to ensure that the label of the wine bottle is clearly visible. Never cover it with your hands! The customer or guest must be able to read the label to ensure that the bottle brought to the table is the one that was ordered.

Now let's move on to the moment of verbal presentation of the bottle of wine. Now let's see what information should be given to the customer when a bottle of wine is presented to the table.

As we have anticipated, the presentation of wine has an informative function, it provides customers with the main information about the wine they have ordered. For this reason, when presenting a bottle of wine you should say:

WINE NAME and any APPELLATION

GRAPE VARIETY and/or CRU

VINTAGE

PRODUCER

This is the essential information that every wine professional must always say when presenting a bottle of wine. We recommend that you provide guests with this information even during the most informal dinners.

According to the Wine Etiquette, no further information should be provided unless the customer specifically requests it. For example, the diner can ask for information on the organoleptic characteristics of the wine or ask to know the alcohol content of the wine or even more information on the producer or the production method, on that specific vintage or that particular cru. Only upon explicit request, the sommelier or whoever presents the wine will have to give more information.

It may happen that some people who are in charge of presenting the bottle, in addition to the essential data on the wine, spontaneously provide information on its organoleptic properties. This should not be done. In our opinion and also according to the Wine Etiquette, giving too many indications on the expected qualities of the wine could influence the judgment and the experience of the customer, so it is better not to say anything about the properties of the wine and let the diners/guests "discover" them.

Finally, we want to give you a little advice: curiosities work, they are liked and arouse interest. In informal contexts, when you have chosen the bottle to serve to your guests, if there is a particular curiosity regarding that wine and if that curiosity does not refer to its qualities, we recommend that you tell the guests that curiosity. It helps to create a nice atmosphere, to validate your choice and to make the guests feel important and special. Let's give you an example. If you bring to the table the Orto di Venezia, on sale in our online wine shop, you can say that it is the only wine produced in the Venice Lagoon. As in this case, the important thing is to be brief in the explanation so as not to lose the attention of the diners.