   |  The Eagle Has Crash LandedJuly 25, 2007 at 12:11 am by john
We recently had the sommelier from a very fancy Los Angeles restaurant come in and tell us about a customer who was loudly proclaiming the subtle qualities of his bottle of Screaming Eagle ($1200/btl). But all the qualities he was describing for his date and the rest of the restaurant to hear were odd. So the sommelier asked to check the bottle and he realized it was corked beyond belief.....it was like smelling spoiled garbage. They drank down the whole thing happily. Do you tell them that they're not tasting what they're supposed to? Does it really matter if they like it? Is it the sommelier's responsibility to replace the bottle and risk embarrassing the customer? Leave a comment  Rebecca said:I don't know... I've always gone for the 'wine isn't math, what makes a wine good is the fact that you like it' school of thought - regardless of price. It's a little harder to stick to that when a bottle has truly gone bad, and when it's presented by a sommalier whose reputation is attached to what s/he pours... Maybe the best course would be to voice some suspicion that the bottle is off and offer to replace it, and if the customer refuses, let 'em have at it. July 27, 2007 1:40 PM Bootsmonsta said:The guy is clearly a fool, the date is going out with the fool at least in part because he's a Big Spender, they drank the wine not for the taste but for the prestige of the experience. They won't get sick, they won't sue, the restaurant won't be out several hundred dollars for the wine and, most of all, the nouveau riche guy doubtless does not want to be outed for having no palate. If the sommelier somehow wants to be nice to the guy, he/she can compliment him for deciding to order the Screaming Eagle and offer them after dinner drinks that he tells them will complete their dining extravaganza July 28, 2007 1:51 AM snideways said:The sommelier just needs to shut the f* up and thank his lucky stars that someone bought a $1200 bottle of wine. (Unless we're talking about the Water Grill and thats the cheapest bottle on the list...) September 14, 2007 6:32 PM Wedding Locations said:Well, look, if they liked it, they liked it. The new research that just came out suggested that the cost of wine can influence how it tastes to some people. It's true - their brains register the taste as being better than if it was cheaper. And, $1200 is a lot of influence. Also, I read in the LA Times that a corked bottle of wine can be remedied pouring it into a carafe into which is placed some Saran Wrap. The plastic wrap actually absorbs the bad taste of being corked. So, it's not going to hurt the people. But, if the sommelier embarrasses the diner that might hurt his chances for a big tip. Great blog and great store. January 30, 2008 3:54 PM qoxpaenrmh said:1LJxyd , [url=http://dfkmcfoejroa.com/]dfkmcfoejroa[/url], [link=http://pibknvdrsfck.com/]pibknvdrsfck[/link], http://aortbvtozryr.com/ July 3, 2011 9:47 AM dukedabuilder said:student health insurance 6452 health insurance quotes 369791 July 17, 2011 2:02 AM cullerz said:medicare health insurance qeh etna health insurance 135575 individual health insurance =-] July 19, 2011 1:05 AM MariosTackle said:health insurance =PP online auto insurance quotes 8-((( medical insurance coverage qslkap July 20, 2011 3:43 AM kilalahi said:homeowners insurance florida 8OOO auto insurance for seniors 4529 July 27, 2011 10:01 PM cheap wedding dresses said:Are you finding a formal gown,just like an evening dress or prom dress and other special occations dresses,and also dresses to wear to a wedding,if so,you can go to www.digweddingdress.com or www.piedress.com to choose one or some for yourself. August 17, 2011 10:05 PM prom dresses said:We provide Cheap Prom Dresses, prom dresses 2011, Red Prom Dresses and prom dresses under 200 for customers. Yellow prom dresses and blue prom dresses are sales best. Black Cocktail Dresses is also very nice. It also offers cheap evening dresses such as Red Evening Dresses, cheap flower girl dresses, and Mother Of the Bride Dresses 2011. September 7, 2011 5:05 AM onketing said:Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't appear. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say fantastic blog! November 25, 2011 6:40 AM boiler repair indiana said:at least it has been crash landed and i am sure you can afford it too but for me this ($1200/btl) is really expensive. January 16, 2012 12:57 AM steroids bodybuilding said:Cool blog! I'm happy to be here and to read along! January 20, 2012 9:47 AM PMP said:yeah right buddy. I think I am going to create one said. it's awesome. January 23, 2012 2:26 AM |
it is probably the sommelier's job to swap the bottle and only comment on the swap if they notice. I was leaning towards doing nothing as someone who can afford $1200 bottle of wine should know better. But it is better to be kind, i suppose. Plus they might get ill and sue :)
July 27, 2007 4:30 AM