Why Did the Sommelier Take My Bottle of Wine Away After Opening It?
Picture this: You’re out to dinner and you’ve just ordered a bottle of wine. You’re probably familiar with what typically happens next. The sommelier presents the bottle tableside to check that it’s indeed what you want, opens it, and pours you a taste. You like it! They pour glasses for everyone. But then they leave with the bottle. What gives? Where is the bottle going, and why isn’t it staying on the table where you can pour it yourself? Isn’t that the point of buying a bottle in the first place?
Well, not quite. As it turns out, there are many reasons why sommeliers and servers opt to keep your wine bottles stored at a side station throughout service. To learn more about each, we spoke with Paula de Pano, sommelier and owner of Rocks + Acid Wine Shop.
“From a service standpoint, the preferred option for bottles is off the table,” she says. “I understand why people want it on the table, because they like to take photos, but they often move it around the table and it makes it very difficult for service professionals to drop food.”
As de Pano explains, most high-end establishments operate with synchronized service that requires food to be dropped at specific times in specific places on the table. When a wine bottle is resting in one of these designated spots, it disrupts the flow of service and makes for an awkward interaction at the table. Take a four-top table, for example. In these instances, de Pano says, there will typically be two servers delivering food, and both will have their hands full. If they arrive at the table and the bottle is placed where the plate needs to be, they have to rely on the guest or another member of the team to move the bottle in time.
“You’re just really hoping in the back of your head that this person is cognizant enough to move the bottle, but more often than not, they aren’t,” she says. “Then you hope your team is looking out for you so they can move it before you’re at the table, but you can’t really ask for help and that becomes a problem. So that’s why we prefer having it on credenzas or at side stations.”
Another reason why many sommeliers prefer removing the bottle from the table is for consistency’s sake. While working as senior sommelier at Eleven Madison Park, de Pano would fill wine glasses about a quarter of the way and no further as any more than that would take away from the sensory experience. Removing the wine bottle from the table and keeping a close eye on the level in the glass allows the sommelier to provide the best dining experience possible for their guest.
Doing so also allows your sommelier to ensure the amount of wine in your glass remains consistent throughout your meal, allowing you to simply sit back and enjoy — and potentially order another.
“When approaching the end of the bottle, [sommeliers] will usually make a point to tip it higher within the view of the person who ordered the wine,” de Pano explains. “Because we are controlling the pace of the wine on the table, they don’t realize they’ve killed the bottle and they usually end up ordering another. Now the somm has sold two bottles.”
While storing your bottle at a side station might be the preferred method for service professionals, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for your wine to be left on the table. As de Pano argues, saying something to your server or sommelier regarding your preference is always appropriate as appeasing guests is a central fixture of hospitality. However, if the bottle does remain, it’s important to keep it stored in a place that makes it easy for servers to set your plates down. And if things begin to get cluttered, don’t be surprised if your sommelier asks to move it off the table.
“I’m more than happy to leave the bottle there for a bit so people can take photos; I also like to take photos. But if things begin to get cramped, I would ask to relocate the bottle,” de Pano says. “ At the end of the day, I don’t think it should be the guest’s job to pour their wine. They’re there to have an experience.”
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