In on a little secret: how to pick good value wines from fancy lists in Europe

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm speaking of my secret to get the most value out of my sadly depreciating dollars from the wine lists at fancy restaurants in Europe. I've been doing this for a while, but never thought to tell anyone about it. You -yes, that's you- will be the first. ;-)

It occurred to me that my little trick might be of use to others when, at the beginning of our recent dinner at the lovely Greenhouse in Mayfair, my friend Tony commented that the sommelier must have taken a liking to me, spending a long time concurring with me on which wines to pick for our table. The sommelier on duty that night was a sweet, bespectacled Frenchman who really did spend a lot of time with his nose buried in the list searching for something suitable for us. Something like this happened not infrequently with me, but I'd never really noticed it until Tony made that comment that evening. I gave the sommelier a little puzzle to solve, you see, and he was doing his best to solve it.

What was the puzzle, you asked? It was this: find a bottle of white and a bottle of red for our table to go with the tasting menu we ordered. And not just any bottle of white or red, I didn't want to spend more than 50-75 pounds per bottle, and I wanted them to be something from lesser known producers or appellations, especially those that would be hard to find back home in America.

Is there a method to this madness, you asked? You must be wondering if I conjured up this puzzle only to make hapless sommeliers jump through hoops just for my amusement. Alas, even I am not that mean. Yes, there certainly is a method to my seeming lunacy. That price range is where the best deals are to be found in fancy European wine lists, at roughly 50-70 pounds or 50-100 euros per bottle (London mark-up is higher). And no, I'm not just pulling this number out of thin air. At this range, the wine directors of these restaurants cannot simply rely of the famous names of First Growths or Grands Crus, because even the wholesale prices are far too high to be featured profitably in a wine list at around 100 euro. What they would have to do is trust their nose and palate and search for wines from lesser known appellations or producers, whose prices have not sky-rocketed out of range of reason.

To me, this is a great test of a good sommelier. Anyone can fill a wine list with fancy Bordeaux and Bourgognes, but it will take a good nose and palate to find suitable Juronçon, Anjou, Jasnières or Condrieu worthy of their company. Even among well known areas and famous producers, good deals could be found: perhaps a white Bordeaux from a Grand Cru producer better known for their reds, or perhaps a red Austrian wine instead of the more famous white counterparts.

Often, these sommeliers would proudly show me their secret finds, an obscure Saumur producer in Champigny whose red wines can give other more established reds a run for their money, or a deliciously sweet and honey-like Jurançon that's far better than any Sauterne at the same price range.

I also find it far more fun to explore new flavors and try wines that would be difficult for me to find in the US. Well-known wines from fancy producers I can always find in the US, often at wholesale prices even, but these secret appellations and small producers are must harder to come by. I have been taken on many delightful journeys, discovering areas, appellations, and producers that were new to me, all by tasting these wines, and by simply asking nicely.

Of course, each person has their own preference when it comes to wine, and sommeliers –great as they may be- cannot read minds. So, it would be very helpful to tell them your likes and dislikes, so that they could make an educated choice for you. If you are uncomfortable with wine terms and don't feel like you could describe your taste adequately, perhaps you could point to a well known type of wine that you have previously enjoyed. The more clues you could give, the easier you would make it for them to better help you.

I've used this trick for a while, and have been very happy with the results so far. Try it and let me know what you think. And happy exploring!

Comments

[Andreea]

A wine aficionad(a), and a wine lover, I totally agree with this approach. Tried and tested (albeit a little time consuming) I prefer spending some time at the beginning explaining and looking for the best match wine/food, then after have a dinner where I can not enjoy my wine. And I do love my wine...
Keep up the good blog. very enjoyable! Hope you are having fun in London. Will be there as well in two weeks, after a stint in Paris!
Andreea.

[Jack]

Sounds like a great approach! I especially agree with going for the better/best wines from lesser or unknown appellations (or producers) - the chances of getting an interesting wine are unusually high.

[Gail]

Brilliant suggestion, Pim. Thank you for the tip! Enjoy your adventure.

[Daniel Ebneter]

I also think your approach is basically brilliant, but I don't agree with the price range you suggest for "Europe". In Switzerland (not otherwise known for dumping prices), EUR 100 will buy you a top-notch wine. A good local Pinot Noir (from Eastern Switzerland or canton Valais) or a Merlot (from canton Ticino) will go between EUR 30-50 and provide a very nice experience.

[edcharles]

This is something to do in every restaurant and bar. How can Joe diner hope to know more that the sommelier. You are right give them a puzzle to solve and they will often suggest a really good value wine. Tetsuya, probably the best restaurant in Sydney, mathces wines to each dish and not expensive ones either.

[Sam Breach (Sixty Beast)]

everyone i know does something like this. hardly a secret...

[sam]

Hey Pim: I don't know why - but it looks like someone impersonated me in the above comment.
It wasn't me who left that comment. Believe me. I am sorry they did. It makes me look like I am trying to be very nasty towards you, when I wasn't.

Hey impersonator - whoever you are, get lost. Pim and I are friendds and we don't need you trying to make it look otherwise. We can have food-fights and disagreements quite nicely by ourselves without other people trying to interfere fabricate them for us.

This comment was left by the real Sam, really.
Hope you are having a great trip. We'll be just behind you!

Sam

[sam]

PS - I don't mind at all if you delete the troublemaker's comment

[Lil]

good approach, and must try this out sometimes... :)

[McAuliflower]

This is a great reminder Pim.

Those whose job it is to help can only do so if we in turn provide them with information to let them help us. (Boy, that sounds like a bad fortune cookie!)

[Sara]

I have actually done this many tmes, and it is extroidinary. Wine stewards LOVE this game and are very proud to bring you their finds. In addition to that, I also ask very politly if its possible to have a tour of the wine room / cave / cellar, and usually no one ever says no.

[Bux]

I think it's worth focusing on the local wines as well. A highly regarded restaurant in any wine growing area is going to have great clout with local producers and they should be able to get the best wines around and probably first choice at favorable prices.

What I suspect keeps many diners from putting themselves in the hands of the sommelier may be the fear that they'll appear innocent and have bad bottles fobbed off on them. It happens, but probably not all that often. Too many Americans regard dining out as a confrontational experience and don't understand that a highly regarded restaurant is on their side from the moment they enter the door, and at least until the moment the diner does something to tell the restaurant staff he doesn't respect them.

[Sam Breach (Sixty Beast)]

No I'm the real Sam, the other one is an imposter. Guards, seize her!

[anthony]

I kid, that was me just above but not me above x 7. Odd.