Would You Send Wine Back if You Didn't Like it?

by mrosen814 Posted 2012/07/19 21:21:47

Related Topics: New York, Wine, 2012, Drink, Host, Tips, Review, Levi, Etiquette, York, Guest, Open, several, once, Restaurant, blog

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	Yes	97 votes	63%
	No	57 votes	37%

Levi Dalton is a New York-based sommelier and host of the wine podcast, "I'll Drink to That." In his article for Bon Apetit, Dalton reviews an aspect of restaurant wine tasting etiquette. Specifically, he discusses whether it's OK to send wine back once you and your dining guests have already ordered and tasted it.

Dalton offers several tips for wine drinkers at finer dining establishments. One tip he mentions is, "...it isn't rude to ask if the server has tried the wine you're asking about. It's important. The key is to keep the dialogue open with the staff."

BONAPPETIT.COM reports: "You've picked out a bottle of wine and now the server is standing over you, asking you to taste it. You do, but... There's a problem: The wine is not at all what you'd expected. In fact, you kind of hate it. You try to mask your disappointment because well, you don't trust your tastes and you wouldn't want to ruin the night for the rest of your table. And heck, maybe the wine is great but you're just not "getting it"? So what happens next? Just follow these tips.

http www bonappetit com blogsandforums blogs bad

+19

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Heisenberg 2012/07/19 21:28:55

Yes

+6
I would send back dozens of empty bottles because I don't like empty bottles.
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More polls by mrosen814

Aksana 2012/07/20 14:32:56

Yes

yes

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Muskoka to Aksana 2012/07/21 19:08:32

That is very bad manners and you should still expect to pay for it. You were the one sho made the selection. Wine should only be sent back if it is bad.

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wgossett99 2012/07/20 13:51:21

No

+2
Sending wine back just because you don't like it exhibits ignorance on your part. I have probably only sent back 4 or 5 bottles of wine in 45 years but in each case the wine had turned. (I once got a bottle of brown Dom Perignon. At least the waiter knew enough to serve us any.)

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Mimosa 2012/07/20 13:25:15

Yes

absolutely

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RachelA7X 2012/07/20 12:16:28

No

I wouldn't buy wine anyway. I don't like it and I'm not old enough.

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PandahSixx 2012/07/20 10:25:09

Yes

meh chances are if you're nice about i, you might be offered anothr bottle or something ...

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Elizabeth 2012/07/20 09:54:34

Yes

+2
if wine is bad, it goes bye bye.

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BritPunk 2012/07/20 09:06:45 (edited)

No

+2
You only send wine back if it's "corked" - gone vinegary.

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Carson 2012/07/20 09:06:15

Yes

How do you ruin wine with a cap! Corks are a 98% with me but one with a cap come on.

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Rob Williams 2012/07/20 08:39:39 (edited)

Yes

+3
If there was something wrong with it but if I'd just picked one that I didn't like then I'd force it down.

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BritPunk to Rob Wil... 2012/07/20 09:05:40

+2
Yep, that 's the correct etiquette I was taught.

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Rob Wil... to BritPunk 2012/07/20 14:48:15

+1
It also makes you learn to be more careful about which wines you order!

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Tanor Z. Faux 2012/07/20 08:37:36

Yes

I do not drink ever, but I would however send the wine back if I didn't like it. However, if the masses do like it, I will not. I'll just have to go without that wine or do something to it to make it better. :/

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strawberry 2012/07/20 08:26:33

Yes

+2
I have taken a bad tasting bottle of wine back to the liquor store.

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Muskoka to strawberry 2012/07/21 19:09:25

That is very bad manners and you should still expect to pay for it. You were the one sho made the selection. Wine should only be sent back if it is bad.

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bleep 2012/07/20 06:19:54

No

wine is an aquired taste. pretty much sucks.

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KingdomNow 2012/07/20 06:04:44

Yes

+1
Every customer has a reasonable expectation of quality.

Never ever be afraid to demand quality.

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Muskoka to KingdomNow 2012/07/21 19:10:23

That is very bad manners and you should still expect to pay for it. You were the one who made the selection. Wine should only be sent back if it is bad.

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KingdomNow to Muskoka 2012/07/22 03:30:32

No, it isn't bad manners, I've worked in food service and a customer can send anything back for any reason.

If I'm not satisfied with service or quality at any establishment I will take a complaint all the way up to the owner if I have to...and I have, more than once.

If I order a medium rare steak and I'm served a medium steak, I send it back. It may be a good steak but it isn't what I wanted.

The article stated that not only is the wine not what you expected but you hated it.
How bad does a product have to be to be unacceptable? While I agree that all customers must be wary but if you've never tasted wine before going to a restaurant and experimenting with a strange bottle of the stuff isn't what I would recommend.

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Muskoka to KingdomNow 2012/07/22 03:54:15

When a person orders a rare steak and it comes back medium that is a kitchen mistake and needs to be corrected.

When you order a steak well done and it comes well done and you simply do not like it that way, that should not be send back because it was your decision to have it done like that.

Those are two totally separate issues

That is the identical issues with wine. If you order a specific bottle of wine and then simply decide you do not like it and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the wine. You should not be sending it back. That is why you taste the bottle befor you keep it.

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KingdomNow to Muskoka 2012/07/22 04:11:14

I disagree. If the wine tastes bad to you it is bad. It doesn't matter what the brand is, where it comes from or some so-called expert raved about it, if you didn't expect something that you hate, tell the staff. Maybe it is bad. Whatever the case, you don't do an establishment any favors by shrugging off flawed products. Nobody gains anything when all you're going to do is dump the wine down a drain without telling anybody.

Did you read the article? It was very reasonable in mitigating a problem with ordering a bottle of wine that doesn't work for you.

I have friends who are sommoliers and we don't always agree but it is their job to make sure the customer receives what he wants.

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Muskoka to KingdomNow 2012/07/25 04:20:16 (edited)

NO, If the wine taste bad to you, it may simply be that you do not like it. It still may be perfectly good wine. Liver always tastes bad to me, however, that has nothing to do with the liver.

If you are ordering wine, it is up to you to KNOW what your are ordering and NOT to experiment at a restaurant and order something that you are not familiar with.

Some people are simply unreasonable and demand far too much.

Here are some other opinions...

"To shorten it, if it’s the wine that you ordered and is not flawed - it’s yours. If a server, whomever, recommended it, and you don’t like it - it’s their fault. If you order it, and they present it, and you nod OK, prior to their opening it, only to find, once opened, that it’s the Syrah, and you wanted that producer’s Pinot Noir - it’s your wine. If it’s flawed, and that is NOT just TCA, then it’s there responsibility to replace it, and hand over the flawed bottle to their distributor for replacement/credit. You order an Amarone, without strong urging/direction from the staff, only to discover that you do not like Amarones, it’s yours."

http://chowhound.chow.com/top...

"If the wine smells fine, taste it. If you are trying a new wine and are not sure what it should taste like, ask the waiter. Keep in mind that it is only appropriate to se...

NO, If the wine taste bad to you, it may simply be that you do not like it. It still may be perfectly good wine. Liver always tastes bad to me, however, that has nothing to do with the liver.

If you are ordering wine, it is up to you to KNOW what your are ordering and NOT to experiment at a restaurant and order something that you are not familiar with.

Some people are simply unreasonable and demand far too much.

Here are some other opinions...

"To shorten it, if it’s the wine that you ordered and is not flawed - it’s yours. If a server, whomever, recommended it, and you don’t like it - it’s their fault. If you order it, and they present it, and you nod OK, prior to their opening it, only to find, once opened, that it’s the Syrah, and you wanted that producer’s Pinot Noir - it’s your wine. If it’s flawed, and that is NOT just TCA, then it’s there responsibility to replace it, and hand over the flawed bottle to their distributor for replacement/credit. You order an Amarone, without strong urging/direction from the staff, only to discover that you do not like Amarones, it’s yours."

http://chowhound.chow.com/top...

"If the wine smells fine, taste it. If you are trying a new wine and are not sure what it should taste like, ask the waiter. Keep in mind that it is only appropriate to send the wine back if it is spoiled. You can’t send wine back because you don’t like how it tastes."

http://bigfatwine.com/restaur...

"What if there’s nothing wrong with the wine, but you just don’t like it? Ideally, you’ll realize this while tasting it. If you’ve picked the wine without help, especially at a restaurant that doesn’t have an extensive wine program, you might be stuck with your decision."

http://www.nataliemaclean.com...

"I still hold to the position that you can’t send a wine back just because you don’t quite like it,"

http://winespecific.com/2011/...
(more)

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tristarr 2012/07/20 05:34:11

No

i only drink liquor.shots of vodka,or crown,a vodka martini with dinner.i

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wgossett99 to tristarr 2012/07/20 13:54:20

+1
I often order a scotch rocks or Irish whiskey rocks before a meal but drink wine or water with the meal. Liquor overpowers the taste of the food. wine generally complements it.

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electricsheep 2012/07/20 05:15:51

Yes

+1
Or as my friend Olanica told the waiter one special night: "That ain't EARTHY, that's Kool-Aid mixed with dog poo."

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LunarRain 2012/07/20 05:04:26

No

I'm the one who wanted to try somthing new not their fault my tastebuds are like ew.

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gregaj7 2012/07/20 04:58:53

No

No alcohol in my diet.

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brian.southworth.921 2012/07/20 04:54:44

Yes

+2
Heck yeah! I know skunk when I taste it. Sometimes a cork doesn't stop the wine from souring. In most resteraunts when bottom line is key, they cap what they don't use and let it sit until someone orders a glass. This, of course, turns it skunky. If I'm paying 8-9 dollars a glass ill send it back in a heartbeat. If I'm paying $100 a bottle and the cork is dry from poor storage, I'm sending it back.

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wgossett99 to brian.s... 2012/07/20 13:57:57

Totally agree. Bad wine should be sent back.

I took the question to mean do you send it back because it doesn't taste like you expect, maybe too sweet or too dry.

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thefatguy 2012/07/20 04:34:38

Yes

+2
If it had gone bad only. Not just because I didn't like the taste.

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Katie Ayers 2012/07/20 04:23:22

Yes

+1
No way am I paying for something that is nasty.

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Medulla Oblongata 2012/07/20 04:18:38 (edited)

Yes

I'm not a wine drinker, period, so I'd be sending back ALL the wines.

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Dolly 2012/07/20 04:01:36

Yes

+2
If the wine tasted horrible, I'd send it back in a heartbeat!

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Muskoka to Dolly 2012/07/21 19:11:15

That is very bad manners and you should still expect to pay for it. You were the one who made the selection. Wine should only be sent back if it is bad.

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the_old_coach 2012/07/20 03:56:34

Yes

Indeed, yes I would.

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blackrings70 2012/07/20 03:27:48

No

+1
They let you taste it first, so it would be my bad if I got some nasty stuff.

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Bibliophilic 2012/07/20 03:22:15 (edited)

No

+3
It would be my fault for ordering a nasty wine. I'd ask to sample it first if it were expensive.

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MiinaNiemi03 2012/07/20 02:36:20

No

+1
But if there were one thing I would return, it would be the dumb ass looking face the woman in the headline picture is making.

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jere.chievres 2012/07/20 01:24:23

Yes

+1
If it does not have a good taste YES, the very worst whine I ever tasted was at a French Restaurant in Paris, I sent it back and they brought me some much better.

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Muskoka to jere.ch... 2012/07/21 19:12:14

+1
That is very bad manners and you should still expect to pay for it. You were the one who made the selection. Wine should only be sent back if it is bad.

reply