Need quick lesson in wines for high end serving job...HELP

[canali]

If anyone can forward me either useful links or info on the world of wines, it'd be mucho appreciated, as I'm about to serve in a high end restaurant and need to polish up on my wine lists, particularly, Italian, French, Californian and BC, Washington...and how the grapes differ from each other.

Thanks,
Canali

[Botafogo]

Canali, this is like asking to be taught about all the types of music so you can work in a record store: it just ain't that easy, it takes YEARS of tasting and reading and tasting and tasting some more and the WORST thing is a glazing of data that is not even information yet let alone knowledge.

Having said that, get a copy of at least WINE FOR DUMMIES and The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly and read them cover to cover five times before you open your mouth with anything other than a question. Go to as many tastings of different types of wines as possible (I don't know BC, is this possible?). Note not only the different flavors and textures of different wines but their effect on (and the effect on them) of various foods. If you can taste some fo the wines at your new job, find two or three in different price ranges in different categories that you really like and learn how to explain WHY.

Hopefully, if this joint fits any common definition of "fine dining" there will be someone who DOES know about wine and is doing the buying. Listen to them and try to ask intellegent questions.

Finally, I MUST repeat my question from the last go round on this: "How can any serious 'fine dining' place hire people without wine knowledge to be servers. The money is good, there are plenty of wine geeks about, what's up wit' dat?"

Roberto

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 08-28-2001).]

[joeyz6]

Very true Roberto. But canali, you're at the right place to get some good insider information -- I've only been a member of wines.com for 3 days and already have had two questions answered expertly. A book you might try reading is the KISS Guide to Wine. A girlfriend bought it for me a while ago, and it taught me a lot of the very basics without tip-toeing around making strong statements.

[This message has been edited by joeyz6 (edited 08-28-2001).]

[Thomas]

To expound on Roberto's point: canali, if it is such a high end restaurant, haven't they got a wine training program? They ought to.

[canali]

Thanks folks for your suggestions....in addition to your literary recommendations, I'm enrolling in an intensive wine course offered through the renowned Dubrulle Cooking School.

Canali

[RAD]

The money's good? Someone show me the way--I ain't making a living with tech stocks at the moment.

RAD

[hotwine]

Buy bonds, RAD. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[winoweenie]

And Rad ole Nostradommie, wasn't it you that giggled at me when I tolt' you last Feb I'd liquidated ALL my tech portfolio? WW

[cpurvis]

canali, we're still curious..do they have ANY form of wine training at the restaurant?

RAD, I don't understand...haven't you heard of 'shorts'? There's as much $$ on the way down as there is on the way up! Surf the wave in the direction it moves [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

c-surfer

[RAD]

Pardon the digression, but looks like I've got to save face here!

Hot, I agree with you 100%--in cash, that is! No stocks for me at present. That wasn't me who laughed, WW!

And CP, I couldn't agree more with going with the flow and shorting. Fundamentals are still pretty bad in tech land, and most of tech is still expensive by any traditional valuation metric.

Not to get on a soapbox here, but I write a tech daily as well as other various tech-focused products. If anyone wants to get on the mailing list, email techfiles@ssmb.com.

RAD

Okay, back to wine! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]