For Business Majors: Wine 101

A graduate of Harvard Business School told me recently he had been prepared by his schooling for virtually any eventuality in the business world except one:

How to order wine at a restaurant.

In his first job after graduation, after being with the firm a few months and getting to know some of the junior executives on a first-name basis, he was asked to a casual dinner with colleagues at a local New York restaurant. By chance he was seated at the end of the table, so the waiter handed him the wine list.

“I just panicked,” he says. “Think about it. You know everything about annuities and 401-Ks, and it’s the wine list that can make you look like a babbling idiot.”

Three years ago, Wine & Spirits magazine conducted a reader survey and found a large group of business professionals who regularly order wine during social settings related to their jobs. At the same time, several business schools were beginning to realize that etiquette is vital to a proper business education.

Wine & Spirits publisher Josh Greene responded by establishing a wine education course for various graduate schools, including Duke, Georgetown, Emery, Harvard, Georgia, Michigan, a branch of New York University, Wharton School in Philadelphia, Vanderbilt and Stanford.

Another successful wine education program for students is conducted at Purdue University. And, of course, many college culinary arts programs include wine education.

Some books explain the odd terms you find only in the wine trade, but few (not even the pocket encyclopedias) are concise enough to be much help to the beginner. I like the Simon & Schuster pocket guides, especially Hugh Johnson’s “Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine,” and Oz Clarke’s “Wine Advisor,” for more detailed buying hints. But when you’re in a restaurant with the waiter waiting and your knees knocking, not knowing even the basic terms, something simpler is needed.

The following guide to white wines (hints on red wines will follow next week) is not intended to be comprehensive. On the contrary, it is intended to give you just a few bits of information intended to protect not only your MBA, but to leave your Esq. untarnished as well.

* For before-dinner sipping, look for a dry German Riesling (the words trocken and halb-trocken refer to dry wines) or a Gewurztraminer (simply call for guh-VERTZ; the waiter should understand) from the Alsace.

* If you worry about your pronunciation, try a sparkling wine or French Champagne. And there need be no celebration to order bubbly. If anyone asks what the special occasion is, just say casually, “It’s Tuesday night.”

* Another great aperitif is Chenin Blanc, a slightly sweet wine. Generally, these wines are a lot less expensive and will be appealing to people who like slightly sweeter wines.

* If most people are going to have an appetizer, a bottle of California Chardonnay is a good, sound compromise. But price is important here. Never buy the most expensive wine on the list, and never buy the cheapest. (The cheapest is there because the owner of the place wants a low-end item for people on a budget. It’s usually mediocre.) The best bet is the youngest wine that is about midway in price between the bottom and the top.

Keep in mind that most California Chardonnays sell in stores for about $20, many for less. So you should pay no more than about $40 for most of these wines at restaurants (where double retail is, unfortunately, a common practice).

* Don’t pay more for a Chardonnay just because it’s older. Few Chardonnays improve in the bottle. When you’re choosing a white wine, buy younger vintages; you’ll rarely have problems.

* If you see a wine that’s in your price range but have never heard of it, ask the waiter what he knows about it. If he seems to genuinely know about it and recommends it, you might take a chance. But if he hems and haws, order something with a more familiar name.

* Sauvignon Blanc (or Fume Blanc, they’re the same thing) are good alternatives to Chardonnay, though they don’t have the same taste or texture (usually they are less oaky). However, they are also usually cheaper than Chardonnay. If you can’t see any difference between the Sauvignon Blancs on the list, order the most expensive as long as it’s not over $30. I know of no Sauvignon Blanc worth that kind of money. Most should be priced about $20.

* Sancerre (sahn-SAIR), a crisp wine from France’s Loire Valley is another good Chardonnay alternative. Made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape, it usually has a mild aroma of fresh-cut hay.

* Muscadet (MOOSE-cah-day), a dry, tart wine from France that’s better for grilled seafood and oysters than more flavorful foods. This is usually a fairly austere wine, so it’s not recommended for those who love slightly sweet wines.

* Pinot Gris (pee-no GREE), a lightly spiced wine with lovely texture, nice with Asian-influenced foods. You may also find this wine called Pinot Grigio (pee-no GREE-jee-o) when it is produced in Italy.

* Viognier (vee-ohn-YAY), a newcomer to California, should smell like peaches, but it is often aged in oak, so it smells and tastes more like Chardonnay. I find little value in most Viognier. Some of the more highly touted California versions will set you back $50 or $70 in a restaurant, far too much for what you get.

* If you are having well-seasoned or spicy foods such as Asian dishes, an off-dry Gewurztraminer is a perfect choice. One good reason is that they tend to be lower in alcohol than Chardonnays, so the food tastes better, and the California versions should be well under $25 a bottle at even the most exorbitant of restaurants.

Ask Dan Berger

* Share your opinions with Times wine writer Dan Berger on the Food & Wine bulletin board on TimesLink, The Times’ online service. For information on TimesLink, call (800) 792-LINK, ext. 274.

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Wine of the Week

1993 Sebastiani Vineyards Chardonnay, “Sonoma Cask”($11) : Sebastiani, one of the largest wineries in California, has had a number of label changes in the last decade, so news of a line called “Sonoma Cask” didn’t impress me. However, this first Chardonnay under the new program is an attractive, versatile, lighter-styled wine with lovely fruit and balance. It has flavors of apples and spice, a note of citrus, a lightly creamy taste and a finish that’s dry and soft.

Sebastiani formerly made a Chardonnay designated “Reserve,” accounting for some 6,000 cases, and another 8,000 cases of vineyard-designated Chardonnays. There was also a lower-priced regular Chardonnay.

Starting in 1993, the winery discontinued the reserve wines and cut back substantially on the vineyard wines, using the fruit from them to make the “Sonoma Cask” wines. More than 53,000 cases of this wine were made, and it’s a stylish, well-crafted effort by winemaker Mark Lyon. It is a blend of wines from Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley and Carneros.

It finished in the top five of 41 Chardonnays at a recent blind tasting, and was impressive again days later at dinner. I was not as impressed by the 1993 Sebastiani “Dutton” Chardonnay ($15).

Another excellent “Sonoma Cask” wine from Sebastiani is the 1992 Barbera ($14), with a light chocolate and jam aroma and an attractive rich/roasted finish. However, I was not at all excited about Sebastiani’s “Sonoma Cask” Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, which still need work.