It can take years to learn how to navigate a wine list like a pro. But there’s a shortcut that will impress your companions and guarantee you’ll get a bottle you love. Read on for a four-step guide from Bobby Stuckey, owner of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, and an award-winning Master Sommelier.
(For more how-to articles and life hacks that’ll impress anyone, check out the Men’s Health Big Book Of Uncommon Knowledge.)
1. Ask Your Dinner Companion This Question
“What do you love to drink?” You want to find out what your guest/date/boss prefers, says Stuckey.
Know that consideration, when noticed, will get you everywhere.
Not sure what on the list correlates to what your guest has described?
Of course you don’t. That’s why you’re going to ask the sommelier.
(It’s okay to ask for help. Plenty of women find it sexy, and it shows resourcefulness if you’re looking for workplace gains.)
Related: The Man’s Guide to Drinking Wine
2. Follow This Script
“My [insert nomenclature of your relationship to your dining partner here] loves [insert a couple adjectives describing the types of wines your dining partner has just revealed to you, when you so considerately asked her/him/them]. What do you have on your list that’s comparable to that?”
Related: 5 Wines That Are Guaranteed to Impress Your Date, Host, Boss, or In-Laws
That way, you’ve deferred to the expert and made yourself look like one in the process.
3. Be Confident
Okay, so you’re ready to order. But how the heck do you pronounce the name of that wine? Answer: Confidently.
Related: How to Be More Confident In 3 Steps
“Even sommeliers have to wade into the world of German wines, and unless they’re either German or Wagner fans, they usually butcher it,” says Stuckey. “The guests should just go for it.”
You can admit you might be pronouncing it wrong, and even poke fun at yourself a little.
Now you’re confident, humble, and funny—triple word score!
4. Go Through the Motions
When the wine arrives, have the sommelier or waiter pour some for you.
Related: How to Pour the Perfect Amount Of Wine Every Time
Smell it, taste it. Don’t love it? Politely send it back.
“This is your big night out, and the sommelier will hopefully want you to enjoy something great,” says Stuckey. If you do like it, simply look up and say, “Pour away! Just be sure to pour me the most.”
Another joke? You’re on a roll!
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