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The 40% Rule
This tells you how to deal with a wine steward/waiter/sommelier in an upscale restaurant.
Decide in advance whether you wish to purchase red, white, sparkling etc. For the
purpose of this illustration we will choose white.
Also we will presume that you know that Chardonnay is the most popular white varietal in the world. On arrival, acknowledge the wine steward and ask for the list. Tell him/her that you will need some guidance and please could you see all the Chardonnays on the list, which might include, for instance, 16 from Napa, 12 from Sonoma, 8 from Oregon, 6 from Washington, 5 Australian and some fancy French names you many not be able to pronounce or translate amongst the White Burgundies. To gain the sommelier's confidence admit that you are going to rely upon his/her expertise. Then comes your punch line, which is to ask for the best value in Chardonnay in the lowest 40% of the price list. Of course, it will be impossible for the wine steward to admit that all the lower price wines are not so good in such a fine restaurant and considerable trouble will be taken to select the finest value Chardonnay in the house.
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Last updated on April 30, 2008