The Uncorking Ritual

[quijote]

Gosh, I'm full of questions tonight, but they've been on my mind for a while.

I don't know if other people here feel the same way I do, and perhaps this merely speaks to my basic level of wine savvy, but does anyone else both look toward the Restaurant Uncorking Ritual with both anticipation and dread?

I ask because, even though the prospect of good wine is always welcome, I rarely know how to deal with the ritual: the presentation of the bottle; the time spent staring at the waiter (rarely a sommelier) trying to uncork the bottle; to sniff the cork or not?; the look, smell, and taste of the wine; the response to "go ahead" and pour.

I'm always self-conscious about these steps of the ritual, largely because I'm not at a point in my relationship to wine where I can sniff the cork (or examine the label, etc.)and make a meaningful judgment. I'm willing to bet that most of the rest of the customers in these restaurants and wine bars are in similar stages in their development.

So how do I deal with the ritual in order to make it meaningful, and without being pretentious (making it seem like I know more than I really do)?

Perhaps another thread here has addressed this issue?