Wine by the glass

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@eatout_southafrica

Wine by the glass

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Whether it’s because you don’t drink all that much, have a long drive ahead of you, or simply prefer to pair each course with the best-suited tipple, ordering wine by the glass makes perfect sense when eating out. Although the range of per-glass wines is often limited to a few underwhelming options, quite a number of local restaurants are going out of their way to offer patrons everything from Blanc de Noir to Viognier in single servings.

One particular such establishment is Cape Town’s newest ‘it’ restaurant, French Toast Tapas and Wine Bar. “At French Toast we would like our guests to be able to try different things over the course of the evening, thereby adding to their experience,” says general manager Gidi Caetano. “Since December 2010 we have also been offering wine flights, where customers have the opportunity to have three 50ml tastings of a particular cultivar side by side. Here one can compare the similarities or differences of a wine, while searching for your own personal favourite.”

But, does it make financial sense to have a cellar filled with half-full bottles? According to Gidi, if you’ve got technology on your side, it does. “Because of oxidation, without the proper equipment it would make it impossible to live by the reputation of being a quality wine by the glass establishment,” she says. “Having worked with wine preservation technology in four different restaurants, however, I have grown to trust it. I have preserved bottles of wine for up to 3 months without any hint of oxidation.”

Gidi continues to say that proper staff training is essential if you sell wine by the glass. “We have weekly training sessions with all our sales staff with the focus on product knowledge and tasting,” she says. “In every training session we discuss possible food and wine pairings and how to make recommendations. We aim to grow and develop their knowledge and their wine tasting palettes over time.”

If all this talk of wine has you thirsty, check out our list of great by-the-glass spots in your area.

JOHANNESBURG

Kong Roast

Wines available per glass: 20 white and 32 red

Lucky Bean

Wines available per glass: 35 red and white

Salvation Café

Wines available per glass: Seven white and three red

San

Wines available per glass: 15 white and 21 red

Turn & Tender

Wines available per glass: Four white and six red