wine: how much to order?

[zach]

Hi guys

I have a "date" with a girl on sunday and will be taking her out to a restaurant. I'll have to order wine because she's just that kind of person. But I am somewhat new to wine. Do you know how much wine I should order?

Is a bottle too much for two people?

Thanks

Zach

[berlinlife06]

Hi Zach!
I hope you like the girl so you can actually enjoy the date! Depending on the restaurant, they will sell you wine by the glass, so you can order just one glass for each. Here in Europe that is very common. Also, there are some restaurants that have available the wine but in "half bottle" versions, so the quantity is enough for 2 people and still a little bit more than just 2 glasses. If you have chosen already the restaurant, call them up and ask them about their wine options. There's nothing wrong to be prepared for that! Also, ask them if you can bring your own bottle of wine, in case you can find something special in that half bottle size... of course, you should do all that before hand! The perfect date requires a lot of production, and you'll be thought of as the perfect gentleman!
Also, check out what the recomendations of the Somelier are for the food you'll have... What kind of restaurants are you taking her to? (For the first time here I feel like a little bit of an expert!) Good luck with all of that!

[zach]

Thanks so much berlinlife!

I am actually in Paris at the moment, so I will probably go to a french resaurant. I havent decided yet on which because I do not know the place very well. Otherwise there is an Indian restaurant, but I think that she may not like Indian food.

They have things here called "pichet", which I have been told is ok for two people, but I am not sure if it is for 1 or for 2! It might be the equivilent of a half-bottle, although I am not sure.

Also, when you order a "half-bottle", do you ask for a general "half bottle of bordeaux" for instance, or do you ask for a specific wine like "a half bottle of chateau something"?

Thanks so much!

Zach

[berlinlife06]

Zach!!! Paris! Mon Dieu!!! I love Paris!!!! Love it, love it love it! There you will not have a problem. They have also what is called a "caraffe" that is precisely a half bottle of wine served in a little glass. Again, most likely they will have the options of Half bottle that are already sealed from the producer in smaller ammounts, you will see it in the wine list, or they have the pichet but they'll have many more varieties that you could find in any regular restaurant in the States! So, don't worry about it! I'm sure you'll do fine. But just so you can be a little prepared, check out this page: http://www.wine.com/aboutwine/
When at the restaurant, ask them for the English menu if you don't know french. Most of them have it. You can also ask what wines they have available as House wines. That might be a very good choice, because it is the most popular wine and in every restaurant is different. Besides, you can have 2 pichets, one with white and another one with red wine, depending on your meals, one wine for the first course and another one for the second, and you'll only have actually 2 glasses of wine. Yes, you can ask for it as a bourdeaux, or a cabernet. I wish you the best, and I totally expect you to tell us how it went!

[zach]

thanks so much for your help.

So let me get this right:

a pichet is 2 glasses
a carafe is 4 glasses, and this is the same as half a bottle
a bottle is 6 glasses..

is that right?

Zach

[berlinlife06]

zach Wrote:thanks so much for your help.

So let me get this right:

a pichet is 2 glasses
a carafe is 4 glasses, and this is the same as half a bottle
a bottle is 6 glasses..

is that right?

Zach

The only thing for sure is the bottle, that yes, it is around 6 glasses, but depending on the restaurant, they might have the carafe smaller for just 2 glasses and the pichet bigger... you will have to figure it out once you are there. Don't be afraid to ask the somelier or the waiter that handles the wine. For sure they'll be glad to help. Here in Germany, the carafe is 2 glasses, but to be honest, when I've been in France, we order the bottle since we were 4 at the table, so I don't know what they call the smaller quantities. I wish you the best!!! Enjoy the meal and report on monday! LOL!

[deelip]

Good luck admin for the date.
I just dont have any idea on it. Because I never have drink in restaurant .

[zach]

OK guys, here's the update.

Right after ordering the dishes, I asked the waiter for "une demi-boutelle de Bordeux" (if that's how it is spelt), meaning half a bottle of Bordeaux. He then asked "50 cl?", because they dont actually sell 'half-bottles" in that restaurant. So I said, "yes". lol

He came with a pichet of red wine which I enjoyed very much.

Thanks a lot Berlinlife06 I appreciate it.

Zach

[berlinlife06]

Hey Zach! How was the date? Did you have fun? Or is it still going on? I mean, a date in Paris sounds really really cool! I hope you didn't get too drunk. Well, I would like to hear the details! Specially about your wine experience, LOL! Take care and hope to see you around soon!

[zach]

LOL we posted about 1 second apart.

The "date" was OK... it was actually with an ex girlfriend that I still like a lot, so it was a bit uncomfortable in some respects. But the wine was good

Zach