Expert gives four wine etiquette tipsfrom @williamhanson

Transcript

When ordering wine in a restaurant, don't fall into tier mistake of ordering the second cheapest wine on the wine list because it's often the one with the biggest markup and is the poorest quality. Instead, if you are on a budget, just order the house wine. House wine is fine. It's the wine the establishment have chosen to represent them. Here's how to taste wine in a restaurant. Now there's no need to do all of this swilling it around in the glass thing. It's very Ponzi. All you do once a bit has been poured is give it a a delicate sniff to see if the bottle has been caught. And if it has been caught, it will taste of moldy mushrooms or damp cardboard, most unattractive. The only time it's okay to taste the wine is if you think it is served at the wrong temperature. It's too hot or too good. In which case, you politely and quietly let your sommelier know. How to hold a wine glass? Don't make the mistake of picking it up from the bowl. Otherwise, the heat from your hand is going to go through the glass and change the temperature and taste of the liquid inside. You also look a bit like an alcoholic. Instead, pick up the glass from the top of the shaft. When you finish your bottle of wine, how do you signal to the waiting staff that you would like another one? Well, what you definitely don't do is stick the bottle upside down in the ice bucket. Instead, leave it on the table because then they can clearly see that it's empty.