Wine service knowledge and skills are essential to delivering an exceptional high-end luxurious table service experience for the guests onboard yachts.
Here are my Top 8 Wine Serving Tips that you can implement onboard today.
#1 Present the Wine List: Be prepared to answer questions about food pairings, wine quality, and wine vintages.
#2 Prepare the Wine Glasses:
Select the wine glassware - Choose wine glasses that coordinate with the style of wine, whether it's red, white, or sparkling.
Inspect the glassware - Ensure each wine glass is free of chips, stains, or blemishes.
Polish the glassware - Always use white service gloves to handle glassware. Give the wine glasses a final polish with a clean cloth. Make sure not to leave any fingerprints on the bowl of the glass.
Place the glassware on a tray - Once it is clean and polished, handle it by the stem and place it on a tray.
Deliver the wine glasses - Place the wine glasses to the right of each guest, being careful only to touch the stem. The position of the wine glass should be identical for each guest and will depend on the menu and the variety of wines served. Click here to get my Free Table Setting Guide.
#3 Temperature: As a rule of thumb, no wine should ever be served over 20˚C (68˚F). If you are ever in doubt, serve the wine a few degrees cooler than room temperature. This will release the rich and powerful aromas as the wine warms to room temperature.
Red Wine Temperature - Serve red wine below room temperature at 62 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. If your red wines are stored without temperature control, consider chilling them slightly before serving to bring the temp down a few degrees.
White Wine Temperature - White wines and roses should be served chilled to between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sparkling Wine Temperature - Keep sparkling wine stored at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but serve it chilled at 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If guests order a bottle of sparkling wine, cool it immediately to bring the temp down.
#4 The Right Way to Open a Bottle of Wine:
Before using the wine key, present the bottle to the guest who ordered the wine. Hold the bottle so the label is visible and announce the vineyard, grape, location, and vintage. Once the guest has confirmed that the bottle is correct, you can begin uncorking the wine.
Cut the foil below the lower lip.
Insert the screw in the center of the cork.
Cut the foil around half an inch from the lip of the bottle using a foil cutter or the small knife in a waiter's style wine key (corkscrew). This ensures the wine doesn't touch the foil and can help prevent dripping.
Open the wine key so the corkscrew and lever are pointed towards the cork.
Insert the corkscrew, or worm, into the center of the cork and twist.
Continue twisting the corkscrew down until the first notch on the lever meets the lip of the bottle.
Pull the corkscrew up with the lever pressed against the bottle's lip. The leverage created will pull the cork about halfway out of the bottle.
Now, the second notch on the lever will be in line with the lip of the bottle.
Using the leverage created by the second notch, pull the cork out. If the notch is in place, the cork will pull easily away from the bottle.
Wipe off the top of the bottle and the cork with a napkin.
Having the correct type and, ideally, a high-end corkscrew will support you in delivering a smooth and efficient wine service. I highly recommend using Laguiole corkscrews.
#5 Decanting: is the process of separating sediment from the old aged wines (starting with five years of age). It is also used for young, bold red wines (like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Nebbiolo) to introduce oxygen to the wine. Doing this also allows the wine to breathe, which helps enhance its flavors and releases its aromas. Plus, decanting wine is very useful for those moments when the cork slips inside the bottle.
Here's how to do it!
Set the bottle upright, ideally for 24 hours before drinking, so the sediment can slide to the bottom. But don't worry if you cannot; 30 minutes to one hour usually does the trick.
Locate a decanter or another clean, clear vessel from which the wine can easily be poured into glasses.
Open the wine.
Hold a light under the neck of the bottle; a candle or flashlight works well.
Pour the wine into the decanter slowly and steadily, without stopping; when you get to the bottom half of the bottle, pour even more slowly.
Stop if you see the sediment reach the neck of the bottle. Sediment isn't always chunky and obvious; stop if the wine's color becomes cloudy or if you see what looks like specks of dust in the neck. The wine is now ready to serve if it is aged; if it is young, allow it to breathe for at least 30 minutes.
Discard the remaining ounce or two of sediment-filled liquid in the bottle.
If you don't want to use the light method, you can always use this method by pouring the wine through a tiny strainer, a cheesecloth, or a wine aerator/strainer like this one.
#6 Pouring Method: Still wines should be poured toward the center of the wine glass. Sparkling wines should be poured against the side of the glass to preserve the bubbles without touching the glass.
Before making the first pour, note how many guests will be drinking. As a general rule, one bottle of wine serves five glasses of 5oz. each. Adjust the pour amount based on the number of guests, and never fill a glass more than halfway.
Tip: To learn how much is 5oz. while free pouring wine, count your measurements and see how long it takes to pour 5oz. in a measuring cup and use that exact count when free pouring.
Wrap the bottle in a clean white/black napkin or use white waiter's gloves while handling the bottle. This also helps with temperature control for chilled wines.
Always pour from the guest's right side. Finish each pour with a twisting motion and wipe the lip of the bottle to avoid dripping.
Place the bottle in a bucket of ice and water for chilled wines or store it in a wine chiller.
Return to the table periodically to refill wine glasses. When the bottle is empty, ask the host if they want another wine bottle. *If the new bottle differs, replace the wine glasses with new ones.
Extra serving tips:
Hold the bottle from the base.
Expose the label to the guest.
Cut the flow quickly by twisting the bottle towards you.
Wrap a napkin around the bottleneck or have it over your forearm to clean drips.
Never let the wine bottle touch the glass into which you are pouring.
#7 Serving Order: You should serve lighter wines before full-bodied wines. Check out my Do's and Don'ts of Table Service blog post for more service tips.
#8 Preservation: If a bottle of wine is not finished, there are numerous ways to preserve your wine, such as using wine bottle stoppers, shields, pumps, and argon gas. These preservation methods are cost-effective and ensure the wine does not get wasted.
Generally, an opened bottle of red wine can last up to 5 days if stored properly in a cool and dark place with a wine stopper or cork to prevent excess oxygen from getting in. For white wine, it can last for up to 3 days under the same storage conditions.
If you want to polish your wine and table service skills and deliver an exceptional, luxurious, high-end table service onboard, I invite you to check out the Mermaids Kick-Starter Bible; click here.
