Wine Training 101

Vine to Wine Basics

Proper wine service = (Guest Satisfaction + increased check average) = HIGHER TIPS

What is in it for the server?

With little to no effort you should serve each evening shift:

Ten glasses of wine at an average price of $7$70.00
PLUS two bottles of wine at an average of $35$70.00
The overall check amount was increased by$140.00
If you average tip is 20% (and it is usually more!)..$28.00
Wine tips from working five shifts a week would be.$140.00
You work 50 weeks a year your tips would be.$7,000.00
Educate yourself at your profession and increase your earning potential. Professionals spend time learning to do their job right! Who wants a server who hasnt taken the time to learn a major aspect of their
job? If you spend time becoming a better server, it will certainly pay off. You need to take the time to
learn about wine and wine service-it is part of your job! Read through this booklet, learn the material
and put it into practice.
The more comfortable you are with wine service and product knowledge, the better server you will be.
Youll be able to easily suggest wine and assist your guests in making better selections, adding to their
overall dining satisfaction and creating more tips for you! You must spend some time on this-its important!
Americans are drinking more and better wine than ever before; the United States is quickly becoming
the worlds biggest wine consumer. Wine is becoming more appealing to Americans than either beer or
distilled spirits. So, when you have a guest looking at the wine menu it is your opportunity to help them
choose that special wine. Drinking wine should be enjoyable; not overwhelming and stressful.

What is wine?
Wine is fermented grape juice. Its definition is simple yet wine itself is a complicated substance.

Wines vary greatly in both flavor characteristics and quality and it is the differences that make it interesting and fun. Wine has been with us since the beginning of western civilization, nearly 10,000 years.
It is temperate, civilized, sacred and romantic mealtime beverage. Wine has been praised for entries by
political leaders, philosophers, artistes, poets, religious leaders, and scholars. Wine in moderation is an
integral part of our culture, heritage, and gracious way of life.

Fermentation begins when the grapes are crushed and ends when all of the sugar has been converted
to alcohol or the alcohol level has reached around 15%, which kills off the yeast.
Below is the basic formula to this process:
Sugar (in the grapes) + yeast (ferments and yields) Alcohol + Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

There is a lot of sugar in ripe wine grapes along with a balancing amount of acidity.
Yeast, which occurs naturally on the grape skins, feeds on the sugar and converts it into alcohol and
carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 dissipates into the air (except in the case of sparkling wines where it is
held in the wine through a special process).
Fermentation is finished when the wine is completely dry (no more sugar for the yeast to feed on)
or the alcohol level reaches a certain point (generally above 15%) that the yeast is killed off.
The wine is placed in bottled, labeled, and shipped out for you to present to your guest.

Three major types of wine

1. Table wine: approximately 8 15% alcohol

2. Sparkling wine: approximately 8 12% alcohol + CO2
3. Fortified wine: 17 to 22% alcohol
All wine fits into at least one of these categories.
Vintage and Aging
A vintage indicates the year the grapes were harvested; so, every year is a vintage. What makes
one year better then the other is the weather conditions. The better the weather, the better the
Grape, the better the wine.
A misconception is that all wines improve with age; in fact more than 90% of all wines made in the
world are meant to be consumed within one year, and less than 1% of the worlds wines are
produced to be aged for more than five years. Wines do change with age; some get better but most do
not.

How is wine defined or named?

Wines are named by their brand name or producers name along with the appropriate grape variety,
geographic origin, or a special proprietary name.

Grape Variety

When you have a wine which has been labeled as a chardonnay, Fume Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or any of the other different grape varieties, it is a wine which has been made primarily from the
named grape variety. By U.S. law, a varietals wine must contain at least 75% of the grape variety
specified on the label. For example, a varietals wine made in California which carries a Chardonnay
label must be at least 75% Chardonnay grapes. Most of the best Chardonnays will contain 100% juice
of the Chardonnay grape. However, sometimes blending a few grape varieties together can improve
the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is often made better if small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc are
included in the blend. These two varieties add components to the Cabernet Sauvignon that help it develop into a fuller, more complex wine
as it ages.

Wine Tasting !
Wine Tasting

The best way to truly enhance your wine understanding is to taste as many wines as possible.
The following are necessary steps for tasting wine. You may wish to follow them with a glass of wine
in your hand.
Wine tasting can be broken down into four basic steps:

1. Color
2. Swirl
3. Smell
4. Taste

Color tells you a lot about the wine. Since we start with the white wines, lets consider three reasons why a white wine may have more color:
1. Its older
2. Different grape varieties give different color. (Chardonnay usually gives off a deeper color than
does Sauvignon Blanc.)
3.

The wine was aged in wood.

Red wines have various shades that often represent style and age:
1. Deeper colors generally represent bolder flavor profiles.

2. Color and clarity represent aging.

SwirlThe swirl will allow oxygen to get into the wine: swirling releases the esters, ethers, and aldehydes that combine with oxygen to yield a wines bouquet. In other words, swirling aerates the
wine and releases more of the bouquet and aroma.
Smell this is the most important part of wine tasting. You can perceive just four tastes sweet,
our, bitter and salt but the average person can identify more than two thousand scents, and wine
has more than two hundred of its own. Now that youve swirled the wine and released the bouquet,
I want you to smell the wine at least three times. You will find that the third smell will give you more
information then the first smell did.
Smell is the most important step in the tasting process and most people simply dont spend enough
time on it.
Pinpointing the nose of the wine helps you to identify certain characteristics. The nose is a word
that wine tasters use to describe the bouquet and aroma of the wine. Bouquet is the total smell of
the wine and Aroma is the smell of the grapes.

Taste Tasting is something you do with your taste buds. You have taste buds all over your mouth
on both sides of the tongue, underneath, on the tip and extending to the back of your throat.
When you taste wine leave it in your mouth for three to five seconds before swallowing.
This way you are more aware of the important sensations of taste.
You can perceive four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salt (but theres no salt in wine, so were down to
three). Bitterness in wine is usually created by high alcohol and high tannin. Sweetness occurs only in
wines that have some residual sugar left over after fermentation. Sour (sometimes called tart) indicates the acidity in wine.

1. Sweetness: the highest threshold is on the tip of the tongue. If theres any sweetness in a wine
whatsoever, youll get it right away.
2. Acidity: found at the sides of the tongue, the cheek area and the back of the throat. White wines
and some lighter-styles red wines usually contain a higher degree of acidity.
3. Bitterness: tasted in the back of the tongue.
4. Tannin: the sensation of tannin begins in the middle of the tongue. Tannin frequently exists in red
wines or white wines aged in wood. When the wines are too young, tannin dries the palate to excess. If
theres a lot of tannin in the wine, it can actually coat your whole mouth, blocking the fruit. Remember,
tannin is not a taste: it is a tactile sensation.
5. Fruit and varietals characteristics: these are not tastes, but smells. The weight of the fruit (the
body) will be felt in the middle of the tongue.
Aftertaste: the overall taste and balance of the components of the wines that lingers in our mouth. How
long does the balance last? Usually a sign of a high quality wine is a long, pleasing aftertaste. The taste
of many of the great wines lasts anywhere from one to three minutes, with all their components in harmony.

Note: Ultimately, the best wine, is the one that you like it.

Wine Glossary !
Winemakers and wine drinkers use a variety of descriptions to communicate the aromas, flavors and characteristics of wines. Many of the terms seem familiar and natural, yet others are
less clear. Use this glossary of common wine terminology to help you better understand and
describe the wines you serve.

Acidity

The presence of natural fruit acids that lend a tart, crisp taste to wine

Aroma
Astringent
Balanced
Barrel
Fermented
Body

Smells in wine that originate from the grape

Bitter; gives a drying sensation in the mouth
All components of the wine are in harmony
White wine that is fermented in an oak barrel instead of a stainless steel tank

Bouquet
Buttery
Character
Chewy

The weight and tactile impression of the wine on the palate that ranges from
light to heavy/full
Smells from winemaking, aging and bottle age
Rich, creamy flavor associated with barrel fermentation
Describes distinct attributes of a wine
Wine that has a very deep, textured and mouth-filling sensation

Clean
Closed

Wine without disagreeable aromas or tastes

Wine that needs to open up; aging and/or decanting can help

Complex
Cooked

Layered aromas, flavors and textures

Wine that has been exposed to excessively high temperatures; spoiled

Corked
Delicate
Dry

Wine that has been tainted with moldy smells or other obvious flaws from a
bad cork
Light, soft and fresh wine
No sugar or sweetness remaining; a fruity wine can be dry

Earthy
Elegance

Flavors and aromas of mushroom, soil and mineral

A well balanced, full wine with pleasant, distinct character

Finish

The final impression of a wine on the palate; ranges from short to long

Firm
Flabby/Flat
Fleshy
Flinty
Floral

Texture and structure of a young, tannic red

Lacking in acidity, mouth-feel, structure and/or texture
A soft textured wine
A mineral tone, aroma or flavor
Flower aromas such as rose petals, violets, gardenia or honeysuckle

Fruity

Obvious fruit aromas and flavors; not to be confused with sweet flavors such
as berries, cherries and citrus

Full-Bodied

Rich, mouth filling, weighty-textured wine

Grassy

Aromas and flavors of fresh cut grass or fresh herbs

Green

Unripe, tart flavors

Hard

Texture and structure that hinders flavor

Herbaceous

Grassy, vegetable tones and aromas

Lean

Wine is thin and tastes more acidic than fruity

Legs
Light-Bodied

Teardrop impressions of alcohol weightiness that are visible on the

inside edges of a wine glass
A wine with delicate flavors, texture and aromas

Lively

Young, fruity and vivacious flavor

Malolactic
Medium-Bodied

Conversion of hard, malic acid (green apple flavors) in wine to soft,

lactic acid (rich, butter flavors)
A wine with solid, but not rich weight and texture

Nose

The smell of a wine; aroma

Oak

Aromas and flavors contributed during barrel fermentation and/or

aging such as vanilla, caramel, chocolate, smoke, spice or toast

Off-Dry (Semi-dry)

Very low levels of residual sugar remaining in the wine

Rich

Weighty flavors and texture

Round

Smooth flavors and texture; well-balanced

Smoky/Toasty

Aromas of smoke and toast imparted by fired barrels

Sweet

Wines that have a higher concentration of sugar after fermentation

Tannin

A drying, astringent sensation on the palate that is generally associated with heavier red wines

Terroir

French word reflecting the expression of soil, topography and climate

in a wine

Thin

Wine is unpleasantly watery and lacks flavor and texture

Vegetal

Herbal, weedy aromas and flavors

Velvety

Smooth-textured with deep, rich aromas and flavors

Vintage

Year that grapes were harvested and fermented to make a wine

Steps of Wine Service

1) Wine order is taken and repeated back to host.
2) Wine glasses are brought to table on the right of each guest.
3) Present bottle label-side up at a 45 degree angle to the host and repeat the name to
confirm the order.
4) Using your dominant hand, remove corkscrew from apron.
5) Extend knife blade and cut capsule (foil) below the second lip. Dominant hand does the
work!!

6) Remove capsule and place in apron pocket.

7) Still holding the corkscrew in your dominant hand and the wine bottle in the opposite
hand, fold the knife blade back into the closed position and extend spiral screw.
8) Remove cork by inserting spiral screw into the top center portion of the cork
Turn the corkscrew clockwise until the corkscrew is 1 -1.5 deep in the center of the
cork

9) Place the lever arm on the lip of the bottle and pull the handle upward.

10) Remove cork from corkscrew and place cork on table next to host and place
corkscrew back into apron pocket.
11) Hold the bottle in the right hand with the label visible to the guest and pour
the host no more than 1 once to taste.
12) After approval, pour from the right hand side with the right hand moving
clockwise around the table, women first, men second and the host last.