Different vintage served than is shown on the wine list

rich.d.berry

The recent thread on dining and dashing that I replied to got me thinking about the sort of customer that I am when visiting a restaurant. I know that I'm demanding, but I believe that I have a right to be that way since I'm paying.

I enjoy wine, especially red wine. Perhaps I'm a bit of a wine snob but I have put in a bit of effort and expense to educate myself about which wines I prefer and what were good years for these wines. For instance, 2009 was an exceptional year for the French Bordeaux region. I pay close attention to the vintage on the wine list and order accordingly. but I have found that it is rare in Ireland to be served the wine that is listed on the wine list. I would estimate that four out of five times they get it wrong.

I'm also aware that Ireland does not really have a wine culture, and I make allowance for it. I am happy to discuss getting a suitable replacement or a discount for an inferior vintage, but I've often been treated poorly. Waiters will act as if I'm wasting their time or being difficult. All because I insist on receiving the goods advertised. Sommeliers are rarity here so even if I end up speaking to a manager I often know more about the wine than they do. I've heard some ridiculous comments such as:

• There's no difference, it's just the year it was produced.
• The fresher wines are better than the older wines.
• They all taste the same.
• The vintage on the bottle has nothing to do with when the grapes were picked

I will also not accept a bottle of wine that has already been opened. How do I know that the bottle has not been filled with a cheap wine?

Are there others who are as picky as I am about the wine they're served? You might find that if you are not, that you are being ripped off.

shrapnel222

probably best to start going to better restaurants tbh. That has never happened to me, but if it did, i would seriously laugh and tell them to GTFO, which would mean i'd have to leave the restaurant as i'd be pretty confident my food would be spat in (at the least).

rich.d.berry

shrapnel222 wrote: »

probably best to start going to better restaurants tbh.

Perhaps you're right. I must admit that the Dublin restaurants have a better track record from my experience. However the restaurants within easy reach for us here in Kildare are less good with their wines, but a lot of their food is top-notch.

The wife and I recently had a weekend away in Waterford. All 3 of the restaurants that we visited there got it wrong, and we were aiming for the best that the city had to offer.

Slaphead07

Precisely because vintages do change a wine list should be a printed A4 page (it can be a fancy one!) and edited every time a wine changes.
There are obviously differences between different vintages, sometimes subtle but sometimes it's a completely different wine. if at the end of the meal you ordered coffee and they bring you tea would you accept it?

On an aside I think the maker is often more important than the vintage - poor winemakers never have a good year and good ones tend to be the best of the lesser vintages.

I would have thought it obvious but a bottle should always be opened in front of the customer, after all it must be tasted and accepted. In the best restaurants the bottle won't be left on the table but the waiter will unobtrusively top up a glass as needs be. The bottle will be deliberately left in view of the customer, perhaps on a central table.

zac8

This is a pet hate of mine too although I admit I haven't seen it happen too often. Where I've noticed it happen a lot is when I order wine online from Irish sites. I've ordered from about 5 or 6 different sites the last few years and everyone of them have on at least one occasion sent the wrong vintage. This is really frustrating after investing time trying to pick the one I want.

Slaphead07

zac8 wrote: »

This is a pet hate of mine too although I admit I haven't seen it happen too often. Where I've noticed it happen a lot is when I order wine online from Irish sites. I've ordered from about 5 or 6 different sites the last few years and everyone of them have on at least one occasion sent the wrong vintage. This is really frustrating after investing time trying to pick the one I want.

It's a lot more difficult with a website as you have contact the web company every time you want a change. YES I know it's easy to edit the text but that's not the way it happens in the real world! Web design and updates are nearly always outsourced

It's no excuse I know... just explaining why it happens. It's around this time of the year vintages change too so I imagine a lot of companies will get 10/20 bottles changed soon rather than 1 or 2 a week.

zac8

Slaphead07 wrote: »

It's a lot more difficult with a website as you have contact the web company every time you want a change. YES I know it's easy to edit the text but that's not the way it happens in the real world! Web design and updates are nearly always outsourced

It's no excuse I know... just explaining why it happens. It's around this time of the year vintages change too so I imagine a lot of companies will get 10/20 bottles changed soon rather than 1 or 2 a week.

I find this hard to believe. Anybody operating an e-commerce site in this day and age must have the facilities to manage their own product catalogue without outsourcing. And I say that as a software developer myself.

Slaphead07

zac8 wrote: »

I find this hard to believe. Anybody operating an e-commerce site in this day and age must have the facilities to manage their own product catalogue without outsourcing. And I say that as a software developer myself.

and I'm a reformed progammer. But I'm not lying. Our website was developed quite some time ago and the same company still does the updates. I don't have the time to get into the code, too busy selling wine. BTW I don't speak for ALL online sellers, we're much more 'face to face' anyway but we do have an online facility if required.

zac8

Slaphead07 wrote: »

and I'm a reformed progammer.

You quit to open a wine shop? I'm jealous Hope it's going well for you. Any chance you can pm your website?

Slaphead07

zac8 wrote: »

You quit to open a wine shop? I'm jealous Hope it's going well for you. Any chance you can pm your website?

My programming days are well behind me! I'll pm alright.