Once, I went to the country club with Mom and Gamma. I noticed my favorite wine on the menu (and I think it was a drink special!), so I order the zinfandel. The waiter comes back with this glass full of pink. I was confused when he served it to me. I just didn't know how to handle it.
"Um, excuse me, but this wine looks a little ... pink?"
"Yes. Zinfandel. As in the red kind. The Ravenswood."
I don't think the waiter got it. And I am too nice of a person to go off on my waiters at the country club. He gave me a glass of red wine that was okay tasting, so it had either been opened for a while or wasn't actually Ravenswood, but he acted a little strange about the whole situation.
Then there was a time when the Boyfriend and I went out to dinner and we ordered Ravenswood Zinfandel and the waiter comes back with pink wine.
Really?!?
I had to send it back, and thankfully I had the Boyfriend backing me up on this one. I hate wasting things and it bugs the crap out of me when I don't get what I ordered.
"Friends don't let friends drink pink wine," I teased our waiter. It always helps to have a good rapport with your waiter before they bring you pink wine.
While I am venting on wine faux pas, let's talk about the bar I used to work at: red wine was constantly kept in the coolers.
It was a constant battle of me and the happy hour bartender versus the night crew.
Got that people? Red wine DOES NOT go in the cooler. It is served at room temperature.
And while we're at it: Ruby Tuesday in small-town Alabama, red wine DOES NOT go in the cooler, either.
So, let me end this on a positive note and share one of my favorite tips for opening a bottle of wine.
- First, do not waste your money on one of those foil cutters.
- All you need is a basic, winged corkscrew from the grocery store.
- Pull the wings up so that the screw part comes out.
- Holding the wings up, use the tip of the screw to scratch into the foil so that you are able to pull off the foil.
