Sommelier & Waiter wine encounters?

[wondersofwine]

A few tips I've used:
Ask pointed questions:
I don't like overoaked Chardonnays--is this one aged in stainless steel or in oak?
(Sometimes the sommelier or waiter will offer a sip to help you decide if this is what you are seeking or not)

For a French Rhone rose' I asked the grape and was assured that it was 100% Syrah--I'd not liked a grenache rose' that I had tried elsewhere

Tell the sommelier what you will be eating and what wines you are considering and ask for a recommendation--in a DC restaurant the recommendation was for a wine I had not mentioned and turned out to be a perfect choice; in a Raleigh restaurant the owner first tried to steer me to another white wine, but when I said I didn't want anything with too much oak influence he agreed that my choice would probably be best

At one restaurant in DC where they know I have a love for red Burgundies, the manager suggested a fairly serious Beaujolais on one occasion and gave me a good price on a half bottle of Burgundy on another occasion (that restaurant sells wine by the half-bottle or full bottle and doesn't offer wine by the glass and he knew a full bottle would be too much wine to handle and drive and also too expensive.) In this case the manager took the initiative to help me find the right wine.

In another restaurant in Charlotte the only Pinot Noir was one I had never had and I was hesitant to order it so they brought a sip for me to try--I then ordered it.

Another restaurant in Raleigh let me sip from two wines they were offering by the glass--a zinfandel and a pinot noir--to make my choice.