The Wine List
When dining out, the wine list is an integral part of the meal. Expensive restaurants will often have a separate book for their wines while others may include them at the back or end of the menu. Every wine list will take some time to sift through and, depending on the country, can be arranged by grape variety or region. Traditionally, wines are listed cheapest to most expensive in top to bottom order. Be careful however because restaurants have, more recently, begun listing wines by weight, with the lighter wines at the top. The wine list is meant to give customers a good idea of the quality of each wine offered. It should, but most definitely will not always, include information about a wine’s region, variety, vintage and producer. If after looking through the list there arise some questions, it is best to ask the waiter. Make sure he knows his wine by asking him a question or two about the wines you are familiar with.