Beverages Knowledge

Beverages Knowledge


Wine

Wine Suggestion

After the guests have ordered the meal ask them if they would like to have some wine.
If yes, give them the wine list and inform that you are at their disposal for any suggestion.

Herewith a list with some indications that will help you to suggest the right wine.


Aperitif - Light body, dry, fresh or sparkling white wine
- Champagne

Plats with cheese, hors d’oeuvre, fish, shellfish - Dry white wine or champagne
Hot plats with eggs - Dry white wine or light body red wine

White meal, veal or chicken - Dry white wine
- Rosé wine
- Light body red wine

Cold meet and boiled meat - Riche white wine
- Rosé wine
- Light body red wine

Red meet and game meat - Full bodied, tannic red wine

Dessert - Sweet white wine
- Champagne or other sparkling white wine


Explanation of the wines in our wine list




Wine Service

First thing to do is to set up the right glasses on the table as the wine ordered.

Champagne flute
White wine white wine glass
Red wine red wine glass

The set up in the restaurant has already the water glass and the red wineglass.

- Carrie the wine in a wine basket to the table (white wine in a ice bucket).
- Wine is presented to the host for confirmation. Hold the bottle with two hands on the right side so that the guest can read the etiquette and the vintage year. For white wines use your napkin to dry the bottle before is presented to the guest.
- Wait the guest give his approval.
- Open the bottle in front of the customer, do not turn the bottle while cut the capsule, move the bottle as less as possible.
- Clean the top of the bottle with a napkin (if necessary).
- The host is invited to taste and confirm satisfaction. Glass for tasting are 1/5 filled. During the taste hold the bottle in a position that the guest can still read the etiquette. After the guest approval, start to serve.
- Serve first the Ladies (from the oldest to the youngest), than serve the males, also from the oldest to the youngest. The last to be served will be the person that taste the wine.
- Glasses are ¾ filled in the case of white wineglasses and ½ filled in the case of red wineglasses.
- Glasses are replenished regularly during meal.
- If the bottle of wine is almost empty, ask the host if another bottle of wine could be served.

Wine Service Temperature

Red wines full bodied as Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Rioja, Chianti, …

16-18 °C
60-64 °F
Light red wines and rosé wine as Beaujolais, Dolcetto, …
10-12 °C
50-53 °F

Dry White wines as Pinot grigio, …

9-11 °C
48-51 °F

Champagne, sparkling wines and sweet white wines
6-8 °C
42-46 °F

Wine decanting

Only full bodied, old, red wines as Bordeaux and Bourgogne have to be decant.

There is three raisons to decanting a wine
- to separate the wine from his deposit of impurity
- to oxygenate wine so to develop the aroma and turn down is tannic level.
- To raise the temperature of the wine

Mise en place:
- decanter
- candle
- corkscrew
- matcher of lighter
- wine bottle in the wine basket
- tray
- plat for wastes
- napkin

Insert picture (technologie du service)


Champagne service

The champagne service as to be done as the white wine. Use the correct glasses and hold the cork while opening the bottle.

Image (technologie du service)


Beer

- Keep the beer glass and the bottle inclined, fill up the glass at ¾.
- Put the glass on the table or in a vertical position and add the froth.

The beer must be served at 8-12°C / 46-53°F

Explanation of the different types of beer in our list


Aperitifs

Those kind of beverages are appreciate to be drink before having a meal. They help to whet the appetite.

Vermouths
Beverage made with a base of white wine (70%), alcohol, distilled, sugar and extracts of aromatic plants melted in the wine or water. The bigger producer country are Italy (sweety) and France (dry)
The percentage of alcohol is between 15,5 and 18%.
Service: the vermouths portion is 4 cl in a aperitif glass.
Vermouths have to be served with or without soda or mineral water, with or without ice cubes and with a ??? of lemon.

Brand Colour Taste Origin
Carpano red or white sweet Italy
Cinzano red or white sweet Italy
Cinzano dry white dry Italy
Dubonnet red or white sweet France
Martini red or white sweet Italy
Martini dry white dry Italy
Noilly Prat white dry France

Bitter

Bitters are made by alcohol, water, sometime sugar, extracts of aromatic and bitter plants and others natural components.
Service: the bitters portion is 4 cl in a aperitif glass.

Brand Garnishment Origin
Rossi orange or lemon Italy
Campari lemon Italy
Cynar slice of lemon or orange Italy

Anise aperitifs

Anise aperitifs are made by alcohol, water and extract of aromatic plants (most of anise and fennel), sugar and honey. The most of the anise are from France and the percentage of alcohol must be less than 45%.
Service: the anise aperitifs portion is 2 cl without ice cubes. Always serve the anise with a carafe of chilled water. If you add water the colour will change. Use the small tumbler to serve it.

The most popular anise brands are: Pernod, Pastis, Ricard, Duval and Berger.

Liqueur wines

Liqueur wines are red or white and the percentage of alcohol of those wines is generally higher than the normal wines (between 15 and 22%)

These wines are made in the southern countries in Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece).
The most know liqueur wines are:
Sherry, Malaga, Porto, Madeira, Marsala, Samos

Service: serve these wines in a sherry glass. The portion is 4 cl. The service temperature is between 9-11 °C/48-51 °F for the dry wines and between 16-18 °C/60-64 °F for the sweet wines.

The most of these wines are aperitifs, only the most sweets and mellows can be served also with dessert.

Spirits

Spirits are beverages made by distillation of a juice brewed. The percentage of alcohol is between 40 and 55%.

The raw materials to prepare a spirit are:
- cereals (whisky, vodka, gin, bourbon …)
- fruits (calvados, kirsch, …)
- plants and roots (rum, tequila, …)
- vintage products (cognac, armagnac, grappa, …)


Service: the spirits are very strong in alcohol, the portion are 2 cl (simple) 4 cl (double).
Coloured spirits must be served in a Cognac glass, spirits transparent in normal small spirit glasses.

The whiskies are served in tumbler glass, 4 cl ???????????. The whiskies can be serve with ice cubes (on the rocks), mineral water or soda

The Cognac’s age

All Cognac has the same special label of quality for the age of maturation in oaks barrel.

*** more than 2 years

VO (very old)
VSOP (very superior old pale) more than 4 years
Réserve

XO (extra old)
Napoléon more than 6 years
Vieux/Vielle Réserve


Liqueurs

The liqueurs are made by spirits and extracts of aromatic herbs, fruits (flowers, orange, lemon, roots) and sugar. The percentage of alcohol is between 18 to 55%.

Service: the liqueurs has to be served in spirit glasses or liqueurs. The portion is 2 cl at the ambience temperature or on the rocks.

Liqueurs made by herbes: Bénédictine, Galliano, …
Liqueurs made by citrus Curaçao, Cointreau (sours oranges)
Grand Marnier (oranges and cognac)
Liqueurs made by fruits Marasquin
Williams (pear)
Creams Baileys (cream and Irish whiskey)
Others liqueurs Amaretto (almond)
Drambuie (whisky and honey)

Bitter liqueurs

These liqueurs are made by spirit and medicinal herbs. The bitter liqueurs are also called digestive because they help the digestion. The percentage of alcohol is usually over 40%. To be serve in tumbler with our without ice cubes.

The most well know brands are: Fernet Branca, Jägermeister, Averna, Ramazzotti, …