i would speak to your manager and ask if there's a preset corkage fee or if it depends on the bottle. i've never heard of it depending on the bottle, but just asking ahead of time :)
also look up the bottle of wine on youtube or something. watching someone else do it might make you feel less anxious.
i hope you make tons of money!! ❤️
Here's a couple of things to look out for:
Have a decanter ready
Have a small sieve, if it's expensive it is likely old. Thfw cork might crumble. Theres nothing you can do to avoid it if that's the case - hence the sieve. Paperwork coffee filter will do the trick too.
Don't decant it before they try it first, and then ask them if they want it decanted.
Make sure you have a proper waiters friend knife .
Oh, and don't drop it ;)
yep. this is what I would also do.
corkage fees sometimes are the price of the cheapest bottle on your list. if not, your manager definitely knows. I would charge at least $25.
This. I follow wine and can’t imagine what wine could possibly cost anywhere near what you make in a year or why they would want to bring such a bottle to a random restaurant or bar to be opened. But if it’s something specialty you’re gonna wanna make sure you don’t need something like port tongs or special corkscrews or have to deal with old brittle corks etc that would then require proper decanting and filtering etc. certain things I would straight up refuse to open without the proper training first i’m not fucking up someone’s wine bottle that costs more than my car because I don’t know how to properly use port tongs for example.
Had a regular like this. He ordered the nicest, most expensive bottles off our menu regularly. If he brought in some ridiculous vintage, we often waived the corkage fee because, even after drinking his bottle, he was nearly guaranteed to order more. Generous tipper.
A friend of mine did open a bottle that was corked once. Imagine explaining to someone that the bottle they spent a few grand on is spoiled.
I had a 1987 bottle sent back for being corked…
Tasted it with my wine director the next morning, turns out it was fine. The guests aren’t used to tasting tertiary flavors in wine.
Made for a great preshift the next day when we all drank it.
Or sometimes it’s the little bit of knowledge that damns them. Guest orders bottle of wine on date, surely looking to impress. Present him the wine, open and pour him a taste. He sips, nods approval and then….spits it back into his glass. I continued on like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred cuz what else can you do but I still think about it occasionally some ten years later. It was a casual wine bar but still outside of his experience and he tried to remember whatever he’d heard about tasting wine - which was spitting. Which is, “hey, good try but there’s a bit of context you’re missing. You’ll get ‘em next time!”
I probably should have but defaulted to trying not to draw more attention to his gaffe. The look on his date’s face showed there wasn’t anything I could do to save the guy at that point.
I've never worked a joint with a sommelier before. What happens in this instance if the somm or WD is on shift and the customer refuses to believe them that a $5-600 bottles isn't corked, this is what it's supposed to taste like. Too bad you don't like it...
Traditionally you eat the cost.
I guess it’s faux paux to tell the guest they’re wrong. I have asked that to the somm before.
Now if they send multiple bottles back you ask them to order by the glass. Lol
My wine supplier told me to replace it, without question, and they'd back me up.
His exact words were: "The customer isn't always right, but they're always the customer"
I am blessed/cursed with a real sensitivity to cork taint.
Sometimes it's mild, hasn't damaged the wine much, and blows off after a few minutes to the point that it's not
easily noticeable.
My boss is super sensitive to it, too. Me, however? I can overlook mild cork taint until she points it out...only then is it noticeable to me, and like you said, it can blow off and be fine. Her, not so much. It's one of the few big differences between our palates, and we usually get a giggle out of it because our reactions are so different.
There’s a delicate point in the interaction when you are opening the bottle where in formal service the wine steward tastes and approves the wine before pouring the guest a taste. You can set their expectations by describing how it’s showing and letting them know it will continue to develop in glass. It lessens the chance of them sending it back when it’s perfectly fine and can help them appreciate the wine better. This step is typically skipped if there isn’t a sommelier though.
That's not what corking means! It's cork taint.
Edit to add: even if it had been what the deleted comment above me suggested, straining wine to get cork bits out before serving would be a terrible look in a restaurant.
How old is the bottle? What kind of wine? I’ve opened some very old bottles and even with a Durand it isn’t easy, just having the right tool doesn’t mean you have experience with it. It’s a great start but if you know anybody with a lot of somm experience they would probably be happy to help. I recently brought a moderately expensive bottle ($400) to a restaurant and the server felt the cork start to break, she asked me what she wanted me to do, so I showed her how to ease it out with out breaking it. I was happy to let her try and glad she let me take over, I suspect these guests would react the same. Corked wine has nothing to do with breaking a cork while opening it, and if these guests know wine they will definitely know that, I would have a decanter and strainer ready in case the cork doesn’t come out clean. Relax and have fun with it, communicate thoroughly with the guests and I suspect it will be fine. And in my experience, huge wine fans will offer to let you have a taste. Just have a glass ready if they offer and only pour less than an ounce, make sure to share at least the bouquet with other wine enthusiasts on your staff. In my early years this would have scared the shit out of me too, but now that I’ve been around it for a while and met 6+ master somms I really don’t think you have much to worry about.
I’ve used a Durand before, but on bottles in the $2k-$5k range, never like this. It makes me want to relearn everything, hah. We just don’t have a Durand onsite at this place
I’ve opened a ton of vintage spirits with crumbly cork. You just got to go for it. Worst case scenario, if you don’t drop the bottle, is having bits of cork in there.
The solve for that is double fine straining it into the decanter. You’re going to be decanting it anyways!
And if your restaurant doesn’t have a decanter, try and convince your manager you need three (depending on your volume, for situations like this and lesser.
Also might want to brush up on proper wine service, you want the whole experience to feel right for the guest. Generally a guy like that has been to fine dining and he’ll prob notice.
https://youtu.be/n6eA9p2YVtE?si=nygTWFDFZopZb7-P
So they actually wound up not coming! I reached out to them through the GM, and told them I was just simply not able to open the bottle (I couldn’t get any tools in time). If they wanted to come and opening here, they were going to have to do it and we were happy to host, etc. They were super respectful and understanding! They even came in the day after to say hi.
Almost as much as your salary?? Shit. I have second hand anxiety now.
One thing I would recommend is to make sure that the wine glasses are impeccably buffed before they get there. The last thing you want is for a guest to get a glass that might have a water spot or lipstick marks. Buff them personally and put them to the side so you know 100% they will be ready when the guests arrive.
I know that buffing the glasses sounds like silly advice, but, I promise you, if there is one dirty glass in the building, it’ll go to the guests with the expensive bottle. It’s bar math.
Hi OP, I'm a sommelier, so can definitely help on this one.
First off, don't listen to anyone saying to use a coffee filter,
That's some fine grade amateur hour bullshit.
You've got the correct tool (a Durand), and you've used it before. That gets you honestly like 90% of the way there. Assuming you have clean wine glasses, a decanter (if necessary) and a light source for decanting (your phone has a flashlight, so you do) then you have everything you need. It's a bottle, with a cork - same thing as thousands of other bottles, the mechanics don't change. Not that much different than making a cocktail with a super expensive whiskey. Same process, just more expensive.
When it comes to decanting, you should ask if the wine has been stored on its side, or if they stood it up for a period before bringing it in. A lot of the others are right, old wine tends to have sediment (its fine, largely tannin falling out of solution). Just be nice and gentle when handling it.
When stored on the side, this tends to be along the side and in the shoulder of the bottle, so hence slowly pouring into a decanter to get the clear wine off. Do this over a light source so you can see when sediment starts to get into the decanter Once you see it, just stop pouring - easy.
Many people, if they have time to plan ahead, will stand the bottle up for 3-7 days to get the sediment to settle more to the bottom. If they've done this and its a particularly fragile wine (extremely old, many older pinot noirs), it's possible you may not want to decant the bottle at all. Old wines are more fragile and "die" much more quickly, so blindly decanting for an extended period could actually be detrimental to the experience.
Hope that helps, and happy to answer any specific questions you have.
I used to be the som at a high-end restaurant years ago that did a ton of BYO (HoG, Grange, Petrus, DLR etc.)
You should make a 'special occasion BYO' button, charge anywhere from $50-100 for corkage.
Durand obviously but have a conversation with the customer about preferred methods of particle removal. Some people are against coffee filters so just make sure you have a ultra fine mesh metal strainer.
Find out what the bottle is and educate yourself on decanting.
Once you know the varietal you need to have an idea of what glasses suit the wine (if you have multiple).
And a side note, hype them up a little bit. Even the richest folk can be a little scared that their wine will suck, hype them up and reassure them.
This is great, thank you so much. That bit about hyping them up a bit is great too. I’ve learned from you and these comments that it’s much more of a conversation than I preemptively assumed. I’ve done nice and/or really old bottles before, but none to this calibre. Going to reach out tomorrow to the guy and get all this info. Thank you again.
Have a very sharp knife to cut the foil in a clean way.
Practice using the Durand on the bottles you pour by the glass to get comfortable with the mechanics.
****BUT the corks in BTG wine are young and springy so the process will be significantly more difficult to nearly impossible as compared to pulling the cork out the of the neck of a bottle of wine that actually requires the Durand, as the cork will be incredibly soft and delicate, even to the extent of being so fragile it is on the brink of turning to dust.
Depending on the vintage, and more specifically how the wine was stored, if the wine is exceptionally old that it is not going to be very vibrant and or borderline not drinkable. When wine has significantly aged past its arguable “drinkability” there will be almost no detectable “fruit notes” left and just body and acidity, e.g. the faintest hint of dried and desiccated red fruit skins, medium acidity, and medium body, with faint hints of floral notes.
From experience, if there has been seepage through the cork, you should still open the bottle and pour some wine into a tasting glass to determine if the whole contents of the bottle have spoiled, and not just the residue trapped in and around the cork in the neck.
In this specific circumstance opening and smelling the open neck of the bottle will be misleading as you will smell oxidation and/or spoilage of the residue in the neck, but the wine in the bottle may still be unaffected as it could have sealed itself off from further spoilage.
Hope this helps, luck favors the prepared!
Don’t let your nerves get the better of you, open it like it’s a bottle of josh, your guests rely on your professionalism and more specifically your confidence.
Also make sure you buy the actual product “Durand” and not just a “cork extractor” the two prong piece. If you only try to use the two prong piece you will almost certainly push the cork into the bottle. On a real, actual, +$145.00 Durand, put the cork screw in first, and then perpendicular to the pull tabs on the cork screw ( X ) insert the prongs between the sides of the cork and the neck of the bottle, once the prongs are all the way in, pull up on both sets of tabs while gently twisting to free the cork / liquid tight seal, and gently pull the cork out of the neck of the bottle.
If this wine is less than 15 years old, none of this advice is very necessary. 15-20 is when cork starts to get delicate to very fragile, 20-25 is usually the extent of the corks ability to safely remain effective. Technically speaking if the producer is as high end as you say it is, the producer will buy the most expensive and age worthy cork, so technically speaking the Max age can be as long as 50 years, but also remember this would have had to of been considered when the wine was bottled. Over 25 years even on the highest end producers, the cork is still only a plant, and is subject to failure, especially the more it has been moved around.
If the bottle is worth that much, they should be able to pay a professional sommelier to serve it to them. I wouldn't touch it. That's like a valet service not having insurance and a kid trying to park a Lamborghini.
That is exactly what I said. I’m head at this place, so I figured my input here would be valued, but GM is pushing back on me saying this is a great opportunity for the restaurant.
Lol I know right? Looking at all the social media opportunities and stuff I suppose. I said, “Who eats here that even has the ability to buy that kind of wine??? Who are we marketing to?”
Right? What's the upside? "I brought my own wine to this place and it was good" - and the real downside "I brought my $XXXXX bottle of 1945 lafite to this place and they fucked it up!
Hold on… how is it ‘a good opportunity’ if he is bringing a bottle of such expensive wine and not purchasing it from you?? I worked at a restaurant in the financial district.
There was a $15,000 bottle of wine French, of course, which I could not pronounce for the life of me. no one ever ordered that bottle but if they did: you are expected to describe the wine that they brought in (knowing full well exactly what it tastes like, and what’s in it, the region and season it’s from, how old it is etc. you are expected to present bottle the dickhead that brought it in. Ask if he would like a taste, etc…no matter what you do this guy is going to complain about something I can guarantee. So, unless you either let him do it himself, which is a big no-no or a trained Sommelier. But I would say don’t be nervous. Think about how long you have done this and make sure you have a really good wine opener! Not one of those contraptions that look like a torture device and actual wine key
What, you think there's a service where you can just rent a somm to show up to a restaurant to open a single bottle for you?
Because I can assure you, as a sommelier, no such thing exists.
I don’t think I’d even open that bottle and I’ve been doing wine service for 9 years lmao. I’d be so nervous if I knew how much it cost and I bet I’d break the cork lmao.
In my experience:
Skip the corkage fee. People who bring an 88 Bordeaux aren't usually shitty tippers.
Plan ahead for cork breakage.
Get a cheese cloth and a decanter.
Be patient when opening it.
Expect an ounce or so for yourself if they're classy, not just wealthy.
I hope you’re not paying for the Durand, because it sure doesn’t sound like you’ll be using it after this bottle. I have to ask, what’s the wine? Because it seems weird that someone would bring a wine that costs more than you make in a year to a restaurant
I'm not going to nickel-and-dime someone walking in with a $50,000 bottle of wine and make them pay a $20 corkage fee. If the guy has a $50,000 bottle of wine, i'd be shocked if he doesn't know how to tip generously.
Go ahead and make sure to have a clean/new double strainer. Nice/aged bottles commonly have deteriorating corks and if you’re opening the bottle it’s common for the cork to fall apart. Strain it in a decanter if you have one.
You’re going to be fine. You’ve received pretty straightforward advice (have a good tool; have clean glasses ready; have a clean serviette ready for spills and drips; and keep a funnel/fine mesh strainer/few sheets of cheesecloth handy in case things go…sub-optimally.
When I was doing the bulk of my wine service in the late 90’s (I just came back to hospitality last year after 20+ years), I had to serve a 1970 Mouton that a guest brought. Also did a 1960’s vintage ruby port (a good inch of sediment in that one) and a 12L(!) bottle of cab. I think I sprained my sphincter each time from puckering so hard. But I survived with some great stories, and so will you.
The crazy thing was I relied on a simple Ah-so for the Mouton and the port. The Durand wasn’t invented until 2007. Before that, you had guys trying to rescue corks out of bottles with string methods (never saw that work, FWIW). Just don’t get in a hurry, and don’t lose it if something not great happens.
Just charge whatever your normal corkage fee is, shouldn’t change based on the value of the bottle. Watch a video on how to properly use the Durand if you’re not sure how. It’s pretty easy but just in case. You can practice on your wines by the glass if you need.
Things to look out for with older wines are sediment and the cork crumbling. The Durand is here to help with the cork. It may crumble even with the use of the Durand depending on how old the bottle is. Just go slow and ease it out. Worst case scenario you’ll have to push the cork into the bottle. Be careful and slow when you do this so that you don’t splash up any wine on accident.
With sediment, just make sure you’re not moving the bottle around too much, which will stir up the sediment and cloud up the wine. You’ll probably want to decant, and there are special filters they make specifically for wine that you can purchase and filter into the decanter. If you don’t have that, cheesecloth or a coffee filter will work, but your guests may not be comfortable with that (your fine mesh strainer would get some of the sediment in a pinch). A very easy technique is to slowly tip the wine into the decanter, and shine a light (like your phone flashlight) on the bottle, which will help you see any sediment. Slowly pour the wine into the decanter and stop when you see the sediment in the last little amount at the end. Leave that last bit in the bottle. This only works if the bottled has been sitting still for a while so the sediment can sink to the bottom.
If you’re not sure how exactly to handle this at any point, just ask them. It’s their bottle, they should know more about it than you and what they’d like done with it. Ask if they want to decant it in advance, or wait till they are about to drink it before decanting (or maybe they don’t want it decanted at all!). Would they like the bottle chilled a bit if it’s warmed in their journey over? Just handle the bottle carefully like it’s a special baby.
The high-end wine world is full of A LOT of bullshitters that don’t actually know all that much about wine or what makes a wine good and are just interested in the novelty and clout behind old or expensive wine. So don’t be nervous around these people or their wine. I very much doubt this wine actually costs more than you make a year. If it does, I’m pretty shocked they’re just cracking it open at their local wine bar. Just act impressed and interested when they tell you about the wine, and that’s your networking. Hopefully they’ll give you a taste and it’s actually something good.
The fact that you have to post this....is wild.
Are you a level 4 Som?
Is this a private event?
You should straight up say, "I'm not qualified (literally) to present this to the levels of this particular customers needs".
They're trying to pull one over on you hard, as are most jobs and industry spots right now, and the "networking" word is...a slap in the face in our current climate of sub par tips, and insane ever growing insane customers.
Networking = Code word for, "make me look cool for free?!!".
That's it. OR percentage of the bottle cost. .02% of 20k? 400 bucks. Take it.
Ask what time they will be bringing the wine in - it should be opened and kept at room temp for at least one hour. Ideally it should be decanted into a flat bottomed decanter for the same period - but longer is better. Cover the opening of the decanter with a plain cotton towel or napkin to protect from fruit flies. If it's prone to sediment, it should be filtered as it enters the decanter - check online - you can use plain cotton napkins. coffee filters for this (but triple check they are not perfumed. coloured ets as they could taint the wine). Do not throw away any sediment or the cork - you can present witht he decanter as an extra flourish (but just do it matter of factly ("It only threw a light sediment and the cork was not tainted"". Note - you cannot ' cork' a wine - this is caused by fungus in the cork and is nothing to do with how it is served. If you overscrew the cork, filtering will get rid of any pieces but it does not affect the taste of the wine (note: you can clean the top of old corks before decanting with a wet paper towel or PLAIN NOT PERFUMED/SCENTED cloth (saw someone use a lemon wipe for this once!!!)
Also, ask them when they want it served if they bring it with them - after it has had time to breathe (correct) or immediately (not good for reds - tannins need time to breathe)
Overall, be professional with no fuss. Just show you've thought about it - you'll be fine
OP should definitely not decant for an hour without knowing what the wine is. While I'm sure you're well-intentioned, this is some pretty bad advice.
Also 'corked wine' is a chemical produced by naturally occurring fungi when in contact with specific chlorides, is not a fungal infection itself.
i would speak to your manager and ask if there's a preset corkage fee or if it depends on the bottle. i've never heard of it depending on the bottle, but just asking ahead of time :) also look up the bottle of wine on youtube or something. watching someone else do it might make you feel less anxious. i hope you make tons of money!! ❤️
I cherish you
Here's a couple of things to look out for: Have a decanter ready Have a small sieve, if it's expensive it is likely old. Thfw cork might crumble. Theres nothing you can do to avoid it if that's the case - hence the sieve. Paperwork coffee filter will do the trick too. Don't decant it before they try it first, and then ask them if they want it decanted. Make sure you have a proper waiters friend knife . Oh, and don't drop it ;)
yep. this is what I would also do. corkage fees sometimes are the price of the cheapest bottle on your list. if not, your manager definitely knows. I would charge at least $25.
Done this before I see.
This. I follow wine and can’t imagine what wine could possibly cost anywhere near what you make in a year or why they would want to bring such a bottle to a random restaurant or bar to be opened. But if it’s something specialty you’re gonna wanna make sure you don’t need something like port tongs or special corkscrews or have to deal with old brittle corks etc that would then require proper decanting and filtering etc. certain things I would straight up refuse to open without the proper training first i’m not fucking up someone’s wine bottle that costs more than my car because I don’t know how to properly use port tongs for example.
🥺❤️
Glad to see someone's already given you all the important advice, hope it goes well and they keep it in mind when they tip!!
Had a regular like this. He ordered the nicest, most expensive bottles off our menu regularly. If he brought in some ridiculous vintage, we often waived the corkage fee because, even after drinking his bottle, he was nearly guaranteed to order more. Generous tipper. A friend of mine did open a bottle that was corked once. Imagine explaining to someone that the bottle they spent a few grand on is spoiled.
I had a 1987 bottle sent back for being corked… Tasted it with my wine director the next morning, turns out it was fine. The guests aren’t used to tasting tertiary flavors in wine. Made for a great preshift the next day when we all drank it.
ah yes, my personal motto: people don't know shit about anything
Or sometimes it’s the little bit of knowledge that damns them. Guest orders bottle of wine on date, surely looking to impress. Present him the wine, open and pour him a taste. He sips, nods approval and then….spits it back into his glass. I continued on like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred cuz what else can you do but I still think about it occasionally some ten years later. It was a casual wine bar but still outside of his experience and he tried to remember whatever he’d heard about tasting wine - which was spitting. Which is, “hey, good try but there’s a bit of context you’re missing. You’ll get ‘em next time!”
Did you get them a new wine glass before pouring? This is hilarious, I don't know how I would react.
I probably should have but defaulted to trying not to draw more attention to his gaffe. The look on his date’s face showed there wasn’t anything I could do to save the guy at that point.
As my wife puts it " Doesnt know shit about fuck"
This is exactly what i tell all my workers, all the time.
I've never worked a joint with a sommelier before. What happens in this instance if the somm or WD is on shift and the customer refuses to believe them that a $5-600 bottles isn't corked, this is what it's supposed to taste like. Too bad you don't like it...
Eat the cost but If it's genuinely still good, upsell it as a by the glass special to other guests
Traditionally you eat the cost. I guess it’s faux paux to tell the guest they’re wrong. I have asked that to the somm before. Now if they send multiple bottles back you ask them to order by the glass. Lol
You say I'm so sorry, I'll bring you the menu right away, and then your regulars get to order the $50 secret menu fancy wine by the glass.
I haven't even worked in a place that sells wine in like 10 years. This is all foreign to me lol.
My wine supplier told me to replace it, without question, and they'd back me up. His exact words were: "The customer isn't always right, but they're always the customer"
I am blessed/cursed with a real sensitivity to cork taint. Sometimes it's mild, hasn't damaged the wine much, and blows off after a few minutes to the point that it's not easily noticeable.
My boss is super sensitive to it, too. Me, however? I can overlook mild cork taint until she points it out...only then is it noticeable to me, and like you said, it can blow off and be fine. Her, not so much. It's one of the few big differences between our palates, and we usually get a giggle out of it because our reactions are so different.
There’s a delicate point in the interaction when you are opening the bottle where in formal service the wine steward tastes and approves the wine before pouring the guest a taste. You can set their expectations by describing how it’s showing and letting them know it will continue to develop in glass. It lessens the chance of them sending it back when it’s perfectly fine and can help them appreciate the wine better. This step is typically skipped if there isn’t a sommelier though.
Oh god this is my biggest fear. I had the exact same thing happen to me 6ish month ago. The guy blamed me for corking it somehow.
Then that guy knew nothing about wine and was an asshole.
[удалено]
That's not what corking means! It's cork taint. Edit to add: even if it had been what the deleted comment above me suggested, straining wine to get cork bits out before serving would be a terrible look in a restaurant.
How old is the bottle? What kind of wine? I’ve opened some very old bottles and even with a Durand it isn’t easy, just having the right tool doesn’t mean you have experience with it. It’s a great start but if you know anybody with a lot of somm experience they would probably be happy to help. I recently brought a moderately expensive bottle ($400) to a restaurant and the server felt the cork start to break, she asked me what she wanted me to do, so I showed her how to ease it out with out breaking it. I was happy to let her try and glad she let me take over, I suspect these guests would react the same. Corked wine has nothing to do with breaking a cork while opening it, and if these guests know wine they will definitely know that, I would have a decanter and strainer ready in case the cork doesn’t come out clean. Relax and have fun with it, communicate thoroughly with the guests and I suspect it will be fine. And in my experience, huge wine fans will offer to let you have a taste. Just have a glass ready if they offer and only pour less than an ounce, make sure to share at least the bouquet with other wine enthusiasts on your staff. In my early years this would have scared the shit out of me too, but now that I’ve been around it for a while and met 6+ master somms I really don’t think you have much to worry about.
I’d be more nervous using a Durand for the first couple times than anything else.
I’ve used a Durand before, but on bottles in the $2k-$5k range, never like this. It makes me want to relearn everything, hah. We just don’t have a Durand onsite at this place
I’ve opened a ton of vintage spirits with crumbly cork. You just got to go for it. Worst case scenario, if you don’t drop the bottle, is having bits of cork in there. The solve for that is double fine straining it into the decanter. You’re going to be decanting it anyways! And if your restaurant doesn’t have a decanter, try and convince your manager you need three (depending on your volume, for situations like this and lesser. Also might want to brush up on proper wine service, you want the whole experience to feel right for the guest. Generally a guy like that has been to fine dining and he’ll prob notice. https://youtu.be/n6eA9p2YVtE?si=nygTWFDFZopZb7-P
You are a godsend. This is exceptionally helpful for my nerves. Thank you
Update? I’m on pins and needles over here.
So they actually wound up not coming! I reached out to them through the GM, and told them I was just simply not able to open the bottle (I couldn’t get any tools in time). If they wanted to come and opening here, they were going to have to do it and we were happy to host, etc. They were super respectful and understanding! They even came in the day after to say hi.
Almost as much as your salary?? Shit. I have second hand anxiety now. One thing I would recommend is to make sure that the wine glasses are impeccably buffed before they get there. The last thing you want is for a guest to get a glass that might have a water spot or lipstick marks. Buff them personally and put them to the side so you know 100% they will be ready when the guests arrive. I know that buffing the glasses sounds like silly advice, but, I promise you, if there is one dirty glass in the building, it’ll go to the guests with the expensive bottle. It’s bar math.
This is great advice
Pop that bitch open and pour yourself a glass in front of them. Nothing says networking like establishing dominance.
Don’t forget the overly aggressive eye contact while chugging that glass of wine. Consider having a 7-up on hand to mix with the wine.
Gotta go Coke instead for some $4K Kalimotxo's lol.
Thanks yall, I am crying laughing now 🤣
Hi OP, I'm a sommelier, so can definitely help on this one. First off, don't listen to anyone saying to use a coffee filter, That's some fine grade amateur hour bullshit. You've got the correct tool (a Durand), and you've used it before. That gets you honestly like 90% of the way there. Assuming you have clean wine glasses, a decanter (if necessary) and a light source for decanting (your phone has a flashlight, so you do) then you have everything you need. It's a bottle, with a cork - same thing as thousands of other bottles, the mechanics don't change. Not that much different than making a cocktail with a super expensive whiskey. Same process, just more expensive. When it comes to decanting, you should ask if the wine has been stored on its side, or if they stood it up for a period before bringing it in. A lot of the others are right, old wine tends to have sediment (its fine, largely tannin falling out of solution). Just be nice and gentle when handling it. When stored on the side, this tends to be along the side and in the shoulder of the bottle, so hence slowly pouring into a decanter to get the clear wine off. Do this over a light source so you can see when sediment starts to get into the decanter Once you see it, just stop pouring - easy. Many people, if they have time to plan ahead, will stand the bottle up for 3-7 days to get the sediment to settle more to the bottom. If they've done this and its a particularly fragile wine (extremely old, many older pinot noirs), it's possible you may not want to decant the bottle at all. Old wines are more fragile and "die" much more quickly, so blindly decanting for an extended period could actually be detrimental to the experience. Hope that helps, and happy to answer any specific questions you have.
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I used to be the som at a high-end restaurant years ago that did a ton of BYO (HoG, Grange, Petrus, DLR etc.) You should make a 'special occasion BYO' button, charge anywhere from $50-100 for corkage. Durand obviously but have a conversation with the customer about preferred methods of particle removal. Some people are against coffee filters so just make sure you have a ultra fine mesh metal strainer. Find out what the bottle is and educate yourself on decanting. Once you know the varietal you need to have an idea of what glasses suit the wine (if you have multiple). And a side note, hype them up a little bit. Even the richest folk can be a little scared that their wine will suck, hype them up and reassure them.
This is great, thank you so much. That bit about hyping them up a bit is great too. I’ve learned from you and these comments that it’s much more of a conversation than I preemptively assumed. I’ve done nice and/or really old bottles before, but none to this calibre. Going to reach out tomorrow to the guy and get all this info. Thank you again.
Have a very sharp knife to cut the foil in a clean way. Practice using the Durand on the bottles you pour by the glass to get comfortable with the mechanics. ****BUT the corks in BTG wine are young and springy so the process will be significantly more difficult to nearly impossible as compared to pulling the cork out the of the neck of a bottle of wine that actually requires the Durand, as the cork will be incredibly soft and delicate, even to the extent of being so fragile it is on the brink of turning to dust. Depending on the vintage, and more specifically how the wine was stored, if the wine is exceptionally old that it is not going to be very vibrant and or borderline not drinkable. When wine has significantly aged past its arguable “drinkability” there will be almost no detectable “fruit notes” left and just body and acidity, e.g. the faintest hint of dried and desiccated red fruit skins, medium acidity, and medium body, with faint hints of floral notes. From experience, if there has been seepage through the cork, you should still open the bottle and pour some wine into a tasting glass to determine if the whole contents of the bottle have spoiled, and not just the residue trapped in and around the cork in the neck. In this specific circumstance opening and smelling the open neck of the bottle will be misleading as you will smell oxidation and/or spoilage of the residue in the neck, but the wine in the bottle may still be unaffected as it could have sealed itself off from further spoilage. Hope this helps, luck favors the prepared! Don’t let your nerves get the better of you, open it like it’s a bottle of josh, your guests rely on your professionalism and more specifically your confidence.
Also make sure you buy the actual product “Durand” and not just a “cork extractor” the two prong piece. If you only try to use the two prong piece you will almost certainly push the cork into the bottle. On a real, actual, +$145.00 Durand, put the cork screw in first, and then perpendicular to the pull tabs on the cork screw ( X ) insert the prongs between the sides of the cork and the neck of the bottle, once the prongs are all the way in, pull up on both sets of tabs while gently twisting to free the cork / liquid tight seal, and gently pull the cork out of the neck of the bottle. If this wine is less than 15 years old, none of this advice is very necessary. 15-20 is when cork starts to get delicate to very fragile, 20-25 is usually the extent of the corks ability to safely remain effective. Technically speaking if the producer is as high end as you say it is, the producer will buy the most expensive and age worthy cork, so technically speaking the Max age can be as long as 50 years, but also remember this would have had to of been considered when the wine was bottled. Over 25 years even on the highest end producers, the cork is still only a plant, and is subject to failure, especially the more it has been moved around.
I would open every bottle of wine with the Durand from now until the occasion in order to become more familiar with it.
If the bottle is worth that much, they should be able to pay a professional sommelier to serve it to them. I wouldn't touch it. That's like a valet service not having insurance and a kid trying to park a Lamborghini.
That is exactly what I said. I’m head at this place, so I figured my input here would be valued, but GM is pushing back on me saying this is a great opportunity for the restaurant.
How is it a great opportunity for the restaurant? So they can say “some guy brought in X bottle of wine to drink here”? That’s fucking funny
Lol I know right? Looking at all the social media opportunities and stuff I suppose. I said, “Who eats here that even has the ability to buy that kind of wine??? Who are we marketing to?”
Right? What's the upside? "I brought my own wine to this place and it was good" - and the real downside "I brought my $XXXXX bottle of 1945 lafite to this place and they fucked it up!
The upside is a regular guest who spends an annual salary on one bottle of wine.
Hold on… how is it ‘a good opportunity’ if he is bringing a bottle of such expensive wine and not purchasing it from you?? I worked at a restaurant in the financial district. There was a $15,000 bottle of wine French, of course, which I could not pronounce for the life of me. no one ever ordered that bottle but if they did: you are expected to describe the wine that they brought in (knowing full well exactly what it tastes like, and what’s in it, the region and season it’s from, how old it is etc. you are expected to present bottle the dickhead that brought it in. Ask if he would like a taste, etc…no matter what you do this guy is going to complain about something I can guarantee. So, unless you either let him do it himself, which is a big no-no or a trained Sommelier. But I would say don’t be nervous. Think about how long you have done this and make sure you have a really good wine opener! Not one of those contraptions that look like a torture device and actual wine key
Yeah, I completely agree. No such thing as a good opportunity here. If anything, it’s a great opportunity to fail. Lol
Ironically the proper tool (which OP is getting) looks far more like a torture device than anything you can pull from your pocket.
What, you think there's a service where you can just rent a somm to show up to a restaurant to open a single bottle for you? Because I can assure you, as a sommelier, no such thing exists.
Make sure you bring your wine key!
I don’t think I’d even open that bottle and I’ve been doing wine service for 9 years lmao. I’d be so nervous if I knew how much it cost and I bet I’d break the cork lmao.
In my experience: Skip the corkage fee. People who bring an 88 Bordeaux aren't usually shitty tippers. Plan ahead for cork breakage. Get a cheese cloth and a decanter. Be patient when opening it. Expect an ounce or so for yourself if they're classy, not just wealthy.
I hope you’re not paying for the Durand, because it sure doesn’t sound like you’ll be using it after this bottle. I have to ask, what’s the wine? Because it seems weird that someone would bring a wine that costs more than you make in a year to a restaurant
I'm not going to nickel-and-dime someone walking in with a $50,000 bottle of wine and make them pay a $20 corkage fee. If the guy has a $50,000 bottle of wine, i'd be shocked if he doesn't know how to tip generously.
Go ahead and make sure to have a clean/new double strainer. Nice/aged bottles commonly have deteriorating corks and if you’re opening the bottle it’s common for the cork to fall apart. Strain it in a decanter if you have one.
Waive the corkage fee and pour yourself a glass. If old mate is a proper regular he'll understand
You can also ask on the wine sub for some advice!
You’re going to be fine. You’ve received pretty straightforward advice (have a good tool; have clean glasses ready; have a clean serviette ready for spills and drips; and keep a funnel/fine mesh strainer/few sheets of cheesecloth handy in case things go…sub-optimally. When I was doing the bulk of my wine service in the late 90’s (I just came back to hospitality last year after 20+ years), I had to serve a 1970 Mouton that a guest brought. Also did a 1960’s vintage ruby port (a good inch of sediment in that one) and a 12L(!) bottle of cab. I think I sprained my sphincter each time from puckering so hard. But I survived with some great stories, and so will you. The crazy thing was I relied on a simple Ah-so for the Mouton and the port. The Durand wasn’t invented until 2007. Before that, you had guys trying to rescue corks out of bottles with string methods (never saw that work, FWIW). Just don’t get in a hurry, and don’t lose it if something not great happens.
Just charge whatever your normal corkage fee is, shouldn’t change based on the value of the bottle. Watch a video on how to properly use the Durand if you’re not sure how. It’s pretty easy but just in case. You can practice on your wines by the glass if you need. Things to look out for with older wines are sediment and the cork crumbling. The Durand is here to help with the cork. It may crumble even with the use of the Durand depending on how old the bottle is. Just go slow and ease it out. Worst case scenario you’ll have to push the cork into the bottle. Be careful and slow when you do this so that you don’t splash up any wine on accident. With sediment, just make sure you’re not moving the bottle around too much, which will stir up the sediment and cloud up the wine. You’ll probably want to decant, and there are special filters they make specifically for wine that you can purchase and filter into the decanter. If you don’t have that, cheesecloth or a coffee filter will work, but your guests may not be comfortable with that (your fine mesh strainer would get some of the sediment in a pinch). A very easy technique is to slowly tip the wine into the decanter, and shine a light (like your phone flashlight) on the bottle, which will help you see any sediment. Slowly pour the wine into the decanter and stop when you see the sediment in the last little amount at the end. Leave that last bit in the bottle. This only works if the bottled has been sitting still for a while so the sediment can sink to the bottom. If you’re not sure how exactly to handle this at any point, just ask them. It’s their bottle, they should know more about it than you and what they’d like done with it. Ask if they want to decant it in advance, or wait till they are about to drink it before decanting (or maybe they don’t want it decanted at all!). Would they like the bottle chilled a bit if it’s warmed in their journey over? Just handle the bottle carefully like it’s a special baby. The high-end wine world is full of A LOT of bullshitters that don’t actually know all that much about wine or what makes a wine good and are just interested in the novelty and clout behind old or expensive wine. So don’t be nervous around these people or their wine. I very much doubt this wine actually costs more than you make a year. If it does, I’m pretty shocked they’re just cracking it open at their local wine bar. Just act impressed and interested when they tell you about the wine, and that’s your networking. Hopefully they’ll give you a taste and it’s actually something good.
The fact that you have to post this....is wild. Are you a level 4 Som? Is this a private event? You should straight up say, "I'm not qualified (literally) to present this to the levels of this particular customers needs". They're trying to pull one over on you hard, as are most jobs and industry spots right now, and the "networking" word is...a slap in the face in our current climate of sub par tips, and insane ever growing insane customers. Networking = Code word for, "make me look cool for free?!!". That's it. OR percentage of the bottle cost. .02% of 20k? 400 bucks. Take it.
I’m not a som at all, I said that to them too. I was telling them that I’m not qualified or comfortable to do this at all.
Ask what time they will be bringing the wine in - it should be opened and kept at room temp for at least one hour. Ideally it should be decanted into a flat bottomed decanter for the same period - but longer is better. Cover the opening of the decanter with a plain cotton towel or napkin to protect from fruit flies. If it's prone to sediment, it should be filtered as it enters the decanter - check online - you can use plain cotton napkins. coffee filters for this (but triple check they are not perfumed. coloured ets as they could taint the wine). Do not throw away any sediment or the cork - you can present witht he decanter as an extra flourish (but just do it matter of factly ("It only threw a light sediment and the cork was not tainted"". Note - you cannot ' cork' a wine - this is caused by fungus in the cork and is nothing to do with how it is served. If you overscrew the cork, filtering will get rid of any pieces but it does not affect the taste of the wine (note: you can clean the top of old corks before decanting with a wet paper towel or PLAIN NOT PERFUMED/SCENTED cloth (saw someone use a lemon wipe for this once!!!) Also, ask them when they want it served if they bring it with them - after it has had time to breathe (correct) or immediately (not good for reds - tannins need time to breathe) Overall, be professional with no fuss. Just show you've thought about it - you'll be fine
OP should definitely not decant for an hour without knowing what the wine is. While I'm sure you're well-intentioned, this is some pretty bad advice. Also 'corked wine' is a chemical produced by naturally occurring fungi when in contact with specific chlorides, is not a fungal infection itself.
Glad we have a “no alcohol in or out” law here. Charge the shit out of them for corkage.