Wine aficionados, please tell me if this would be too pretentious to do in public

[yllus]

After taking a wine course and having spent some time in Italy recently, I've realized that North American restaurants serve wine at unreasonably warm temperatures. I like my white wine nearly chilled (admittedly I take it a little too far), and my red wine fairly cool.

So here's the question: Would it be too pretentious to go to restaurant, order wine and ask that the bottle be placed in a freezer for 10 minutes prior to being served to us? Is that completely out of order or something that happens often enough to not throw our server for a loop?

 

[RPD]

I don't see why they wouldn't if you purchased the whole bottle.

 

[KeithTalent]

Depends on the restaurant, but it probably would be fine, but if you are going to a very nice restaurant they should be storing their wines at appropriate levels anyway.

I wouldn't ask the chick at Red Robin to chill your Gallo though.

KT

 

[slag]

Make sure you follow that up with "..thats how they did it when I was in Italy." That way they will know you mean business.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

That's perfectly fine. Ask for your wine chilled if you like it chilled. People might give you a look if you do it with a full-bodied red, but to each their own.

I find the exact opposite is true of beer, incidentally. Stouts and porters have no business being served at 34 degrees; I don't want to sit around waiting for my beer to warm up after I'm served.

 

[yllus]

I don't see why they wouldn't if you purchased the whole bottle.

Yeah, I think that nobody would be all that surprised. I actually just had someone tell me that they tend to ask that their wine be placed in an ice bucket, so I suppose that's a good alternative as well.

Make sure you follow that up with "..thats how they did it when I was in Italy." That way they will know you mean business.

I'm trying to avoid being pretentious! I just like my wine cold.

 

[KeithTalent]

That's perfectly fine. Ask for your wine chilled if you like it chilled. People might give you a look if you do it with a full-bodied red, but to each their own.

I find the exact opposite is true of beer, incidentally. Stouts and porters have no business being served at 34 degrees; I don't want to sit around waiting for my beer to warm up after I'm served.

Yeah I find beer to be far worse for this. I order a porter and they bring it in a chilled, actually icy glass. D:

KT

 

[Crusty]

Yeah I find beer to be far worse for this. I order a porter and they bring it in a chilled, actually icy glass. D:

KT

QFT

Only beers I don't mind ice cold are the macro lagers and pilsners. Anything else and being too cold masks a LOT of the aromas and flavors.

 

[Number1]

The client is always right. If they can't serve it the way you like it, go somewhere else.

But keep in mind, if nobody is willing to accommodate you, you're the weirdo.

 

[spidey07]

Nicer restaurants give you the bottle chilled and in a chill stone. Nothing wrong with asking the put it on ice for 10 minutes, or *gasp* putting an ice cube in it.

 

[amdhunter]

I'd cool your wine off with some pee if I worked at that restaurant.

 

[TheVrolok]

That's perfectly fine. Ask for your wine chilled if you like it chilled. People might give you a look if you do it with a full-bodied red, but to each their own.

I find the exact opposite is true of beer, incidentally. Stouts and porters have no business being served at 34 degrees; I don't want to sit around waiting for my beer to warm up after I'm served.

Yep, I find the exact same thing with beer. Drives me a little nutty, I end up sitting around waiting for my beer to warm.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

10 minutes won't chill a full bottle of wine... Just sayin

 

[GoodRevrnd]

No, absolutely not. Quite frankly I'm starting to get really pissed off about the number of restaurants that are serving wine at 75 degrees. It's absolutely ridiculous. I was at a mediocre tapas restaurant called "Flight" and I realize it's not a great restaurant but if you're going to pretend to be a tapas / wine bar you should at least be able to manage to fucking serve the wine at the right temperature. It's not pretentious to ask that things be done correctly.

10 minutes won't chill a full bottle of wine... Just sayin

Rough rule of thumb. Put wine in the fridge for 30 minutes before you serve it or take it out 30 minutes prior. 10 in the freezer would at least help.

 

[Fritzo]

You can request a bottle to be chilled. I do it all the time.

 

[Howard]

Ask for an ice bucket. If you ask them to put it in the freezer, who knows how cold it actually will get?

 

[sjwaste]

I don't give a shit if it's right, wrong, whatever. Eat and drink what you like, how you like it. If that means you want your red served a little colder, so be it. Ask for an ice bucket so you can control it. Corollary to this, you are well within reason to send back a decent bottle of red if it's served to you noticeably warmer than the usual 50-55F. Reds are not "supposed" to be chilled, but they are supposed to be stored and served cool. Not room temp (70F) but cool (50F).

Remember, the 3x markup on wine at a restaurant includes the storage and service. You're paying, so speak up, just don't be unreasonable.

I'm not a wine snob, but I don't want my reds served at kitchen temp. If they can't store it properly, what am I paying for?

PS. I've never sent anything back, food or drink. I consider myself lucky, I suppose.

 

[Number1]

I'd cool your wine off with some pee if I worked at that restaurant.

Please explain to me what is funny or witty about this comment of yours.

For crying out loud, how despicable can you get?

 

[sjwaste]

Please explain to me what is funny or witty about this comment of yours.

For crying out loud, how despicable can you get?

I want to know how he chills his piss.

 

[Fritzo]

Please explain to me what is funny or witty about this comment of yours.

For crying out loud, how despicable can you get?

See...the waiter thinks it's pretentious to ask for cold wine, so they go in back and pee on it, and then...well...I guess that would make it warmer and they wouldn't be able to bring it to the table warm.

Hmmm...I guess that's not very funny at all!

 

[Bateluer]

Yep, I find the exact same thing with beer. Drives me a little nutty, I end up sitting around waiting for my beer to warm.

Wait, wat? Beer should be served frosty and chilled, cold as it can possibly get before ice starts forming. Warm beer is one of the worst drinks you could probably drink.

 

[waggy]

Wait, wat? Beer should be served frosty and chilled, cold as it can possibly get before ice starts forming. Warm beer is one of the worst drinks you could probably drink.

depends on the beer. a pint of guineess should be warm

 

[SlitheryDee]

Knowing nothing about wine, all I can say is that it doesn't sound like you'd be putting them through an incredible ordeal asking that. Put it in the freezer for a bit, take it out, business as usual.

 

[Away]

Wait, wat? Beer should be served frosty and chilled, cold as it can possibly get before ice starts forming. Warm beer is one of the worst drinks you could probably drink.

Depends on the beer, not everyone drinks Budweiser and Coors. D:

 

[jagec]

Wait, wat? Beer should be served frosty and chilled, cold as it can possibly get before ice starts forming. Warm beer is one of the worst drinks you could probably drink.

You must drink a lot of Bud Light.

Beer shouldn't be "warm", but full-bodied beers shouldn't be served at ice temperature.