Wine Service and Food Pairing
Recommending, serving and pairing wine at the table, from the bottle to the glass.
- Price
- From €275 per person
- Duration
- Agreed with the hotel
Wine is the moment when the guest asks for advice, and the answer says a great deal about the restaurant. The programme prepares restaurant staff and the sommelier team to recommend and serve it: reading the list, recommending a bottle or a glass, presenting, opening and pouring, and pairing wine with the dishes. The work takes place at the table, during service, one person at a time, using the hotel's own wine list.
The outcome
Restaurant staff recommend and serve wine with confidence, suggest the right pairing and handle bottles, glassware and temperatures to standard: the guest experiences wine as part of the dinner, and wine sales rise.
Targeted Groups
This programme is designed for:
- Sommeliers and assistant sommeliers
- Chefs de rang and restaurant commis
- Maîtres d' and assistant maîtres d'
- Bar and lounge staff
- Newly hired restaurant staff
- In-room dining staff
Course Objectives
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Know the hotel's wine list and wines by the glass
- Recommend a wine based on the guest's dishes and tastes
- Present, open and serve a bottle to standard
- Serve sparkling wines and handle decanting
- Observe the correct temperature and glass for each style
- Pair wine with the dishes on the menu
- Handle a faulty bottle with discretion
- Suggest wine by the glass and a second bottle at the right moment
Targeted Competencies
Participants will develop the following competencies:
- Wine list knowledge
- Wine recommendation
- Presenting and opening the bottle
- Sparkling wine service
- Decanting
- Temperatures and glassware
- Food and wine pairing
- Handling a faulty bottle
Unit 01
The hotel's wine list
- How the list is built: regions, grape varieties, vintages
- Wines by the glass and their rotation
- The cellar and storage
- Local wines and how to describe them
Unit 02
The recommendation
- Understanding what the guest is looking for in two questions
- Offering two alternatives at different prices
- Wine for a table ordering different dishes
- Non-alcoholic pairings
Unit 03
Bottle service
- Presentation, opening and tasting
- Sparkling wines and Champagne
- Decanting: when and how
- Service during dinner and the second bottle
Unit 04
Temperatures, glassware and tools
- The serving temperature for each style
- Choosing the glass
- The sommelier's tools
- The cork, the faulty bottle and corkage
Unit 05
Pairing with the menu
- The principles of pairing
- Pairing the restaurant menu, dish by dish
- The tasting menu with wine pairing
- Desserts, cheeses and sweet wines
Every DolceVita programme is individual and tailored: one participant at a time, online or at your property, in live service. Content, pace and case material are calibrated to the competencies and the role of whoever is being trained.
From €275 per person
This is the starting price. The final one depends on how many people we train, the time it takes and what your hotel needs.