Wine Service for Servers
How to present, open and pour a bottle of wine with ease and professionalism, even if you're not a sommelier.
Presenting the bottle
Show the bottle to the host with the label facing them and name the wine, region and vintage. This confirms it's the right one before you open it.
Opening quietly
Using a waiter's corkscrew, cut the foil below the lip of the bottle so wine doesn't touch it while pouring. Insert the worm in the center of the cork, turn without piercing through and lift out in two stages, gently and quietly.
- Wipe the neck with a napkin after opening.
- Place the cork next to the host.
- If the cork breaks, remove it calmly; it happens.
The taste and pour order
Pour a small taste for the host; the point is to check for faults, not whether they like it. Then serve the guests first, following your house's order, and the host last.
A standard pour is about 150 ml, roughly five glasses per 750 ml bottle. Don't overfill: wine needs room in the glass to show its aroma.
Sparkling wine safely
Sparkling wine should be well chilled. Remove the foil, loosen the cage while keeping your thumb on the cork at all times and point the bottle away from people at about 45 degrees. Turn the bottle, not the cork, and release the gas with a sigh, not a pop.
Key terms
- Sacacorchos de mesero
- Pocket corkscrew with foil knife, worm and lever (waiter's friend).
- Añada
- Vintage: the year the grapes were harvested.
- Corked
- Wine with cork taint; smells like wet cardboard or must.
- Muselet
- Wire cage holding a sparkling wine cork.
Related
Wine
Mexican Wine
Mexico has the oldest winemaking tradition in the Americas and a fast-growing modern scene. Valle de Guadalupe, in Baja California, is its best-known region.
Wine
Red Wine
Red wine is made from dark grapes fermented with their skins, which give color, tannin and structure. It ranges from light, fresh styles to powerful wines for aging.
Wine
White Wine
White wine is generally made by pressing grapes before fermentation, without extended skin contact. It stands out for freshness, acidity and aroma.
Wine
Rosé Wine
Rosé is made from red grapes with brief skin contact, just enough to take on color. It is fresh, fruity and very versatile with food.
Wine
Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wines get their bubbles from a second fermentation. Champagne, Cava and Prosecco are the best known, and Querétaro stands out in Mexico.
Sources
- The Oxford Companion to Wine
- Wine Folly
Updated October 20, 2026