My advice to the restaurants would be to conveniently omit the vintage from the wine list. I suspect vintage changes go unnoticed when new stock arrives because it’s simply not seen as a priority and the staff don’t realise some people actually do care. As well as that it’s just not practical to print off a new set of menus every time a new vintage lands. I know myself, it’s a tricky job keeping on top of new vintages, and that’s a wine merchant speaking.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think the majority of restaurant customers even notice the vintage or take any consideration of it. So if they are the type who do care, they can simply ask the waiter/ess to find out what current vintage is available in whatever wine they’re interested in. If they are only interested in vintage when choosing the wine then they probably need to get a life, but it shouldn’t be a problem for a member of staff to check out even four or five wines that are in stock and note the vintages for the customer.
The other question this thread raises is how well equipped restaurant staff in Ireland are to deal with questions from customers, not necessarily on vintages, but on how the wine should taste and what it might pair well with. I never hold a grudge against a waiter/ess who doesn’t know anything about the wine they are selling, but maybe I take that for granted in an Irish restaurant – that they won’t know anything about the wine list they’ve just handed me. I also wouldn’t feel it’s right to complain to the person serving because it’s not their fault that their superiors haven’t arranged basic wine training for them.
With wine becoming a more important part of the dining experience in Ireland I do think it is time restaurants started paying more attention to the added value of the wine list. This doesn’t apply to everyone by the way, as I can think of plenty who do take it seriously. And for the others that have room to improve, I don’t think staff need to know about the supposedly superb vintage Bordeaux had in 2009, but a basic understanding and knowledge of what they are selling wouldn’t do a button of harm as it will only go to improve the customer experience. These days most wine suppliers are happy to provide basic wine training in restaurants, so is there any excuse or are we starting to get too ‘picky’?
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It’s happened to me a few times recently. I’ve thought about saying something, and then thought better of it. It would be different if I was ordering high end 2005 Bordeaux and they gave me 2008, then I would definitely say something, I would also have just won the lotto!
Have to say, that Boards poster gives the impression of being a bit of a demanding langer ;)
I would say that many younger vintages of simple, everyday wines /are/ in fact fresher and better than the older versions.
And that many branded wines /do/ taste the same from year to year.
That said, where vintages are mentioned they should be accurate (please no checking of the BB site though!). And I guess he’s correct when he says that the level of wine knowledge in many mid-market restaurants is woeful.
But I’m not sure that very many Irish diners would choose to pay more money for their restaurant experience so that their serving staff could be trained to be more au fait with the ins and outs of Burgundy, Bordeaux etc.
I agree with you, Matt, that, for many wines, omitting vintage info might be the best course of action. Keep it only where relevant – for high-end, classic wines.
For me it’s fairly simple – if they say it’s an ’08 or whatever, that’s what they should supply.
I wouldn’t complain though, as I don’t think it matters much outside the high end.
Best I think, to do as Paul says and leave the vintage off in the majority of cases.
Interesting guys. I think we’re pretty much on the same page as eachother.
You’re right, Paul. With most modern everyday wines there’s amazing consistency from year to year and quite often the newer the better.
I don’t think diners should expect to pay more for restaurant staff that have some basic knowledge on the wines at hand, but like I said most wine suppliers will provide the training. It shouldn’t cost the restaurant anything apart from some of their time. Could be worth it for that little extra added value.
Another benefit is that the staff become more interested and hopefully more passionate about it. People are curious. People love to learn new things and be involved, so it might help motivate them a bit further.