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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
When I order a wine by the glass in a restaurant, should I taste it first, or is it crazy to ask for that?
—Alex P., Miami
Dear Alex,
With as many different restaurants as there are out there, there are many different levels of service. When ordering a glass of wine in some restaurants, they will bring the bottle and show it to you, pour you a taste, then fill your glass upon your approval. But in most places, they simply bring over an already-filled glass. If you want to taste the wine first to see if you'd like it, you can politely ask for a sample of it, and I believe an increasing number of restaurants will accommodate you (though in some places they'll still look at you funny). The normal ritual of tasting a wine to make sure it's not off or flawed is not part of the typical wine-by-the-glass situation, since several customers will be drinking from the same bottle. But if you ever feel a glass is off, please do politely speak up and ask for either a glass from a fresh bottle or a different wine option.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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