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

[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).]