Good wine, good food, pushy waiter
The waiter arched his eyebrow when I asked whether the restaurant had a very dry, full-bodied red wine at a reasonable price.
Without looking, I knew he would suggest the most expensive bottle on the menu.
"If you want a foreign wine, I suggest the 1994 Ismael Arroyo Val Sotillo Gran Reserva, from Spain," he said, rolling his rrrrrrrr's to imitate what he thought was an accent. "This is a full-bodied wine. Actually, it's massive, but still quite refined."
I had actually tasted this wine before and found it to be massive because it needed to be cellared a few more years. The bottle I tasted retailed about $80. At the premium Seattle restaurant where I was about to celebrate my birthday, the price was $160. In mark-up terms, 100 percent was not bad for a place that pushes the price of wine up 200 to 300 percent.
The waiter waited impatiently as I scanned the wine list.
"Have you tasted this wine?" I asked, curious to know if he had any wine knowledge.
"No, but I am told it is a handsome wine and highly recommended for those who want a powerful red wine.
"Would you like something from Washington state? We have a 1998 Merlot from Leonetti Cellar. We think it's one of the best Merlots in the world."
For a bottle of wine that generally sells at $50, the asking price on the menu was $130. I was getting depressed. Although I wanted to splurge for a good bottle of wine, I knew enough about prices to realize I was getting gouged.
"Perhaps a bottle of Gallo would be more affordable to your pocketbook," the waiter said snidely at my friend Anne, who was chipping in on the wine.
"Don't look at me - I don't know anything about wine," Anne protested. "I just can't figure out why anyone would pay three times the amount for a bottle of wine at a restaurant. I guess it's like when you go to the movies and pay $10 for a bucket of popcorn and a diet soda, huh?"
With that said, the waiter looked aghast that premium wine would be compared to movie popcorn and soda pop. I could see he was measuring up Anne, wondering if she collected prints of Elvis on black velvet.
Anne and I decided on fresh salmon for dinner, so I asked about several Pinot Noirs.
"Just how much do you want to spend?" the waiter asked. "We have Pinot Noirs, and then we have big Pinot Noirs. You won't spend any less than $25, and you won't get much for that."
Latest Articles