I sat down at a very empty restaurant yesterday and was served the wrong wine.
I decided to be daring; an Argentinian red blend of Cabernet Franc and Malbec was my original choice. A ten dollar delight. Didn’t have high hopes, but wanted to risk it. That was not what I was given.
The disgusting thing is, on my part, was that I didn’t realize it until I got home. As the freaky, “type A” personality blogger I am, I shot a picture of the wines by the glass list. You know, for future reference because that is what people do. I also asked the server to bring out the bottle so I could have a feature image for all of you. Um – that’s a blend from Italy fool.
I knew, as soon as I tasted the wine, that it either was a horrible version or a very bad impersonation of Cabernet Franc. There was little black pepper on the entry, no bell pepper at all (what I love about the grape), and the plum flavors died very quickly. I set it aside, and told my dining companion that I’ll wait for the food – it had to get better. When paired with food, the wine completely expired. All I could get from the glass was burning alcohol. BURNING alcohol – that needs to be repeated. With the addition of food, the wine should have come alive; allegedly. How good does an Argentinian red blend with steak tacos sound? I thought this was done for a reason; what a great thought to choose wines by the glass that blend with the thematic journey of the restaurant. I wish more people thought this way, and turns out, I was dreaming of grandeur.
What was I really drinking? Borgonero, Borgo Scopeto; a “Super Tuscan” blend of Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A complete departure from what I actually wanted. Click on the link and read the descriptor; go ahead, but don’t believe it. It was not elegant, it did not have great structure, there was no harmony. Great marketing does wonders. I’ve written wine descriptor sheets before; I can make you believe that the wine was produced from a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Listen, it was ok, but “ok” is not what we want. Especially when you know that you are having ONE DRINK and ONE DRINK ONLY – you want it to be a good one. Not to mention, it was two dollars more than my original choice. I am an Italian wine lover, and would usually not care about the cost, or the error. But, when things are not what you expect, you feel a little jostled. That feeds into your meal, your mood, your attitude.
High point – the food was amazing. Simple and fresh, beautiful presentation, lovely atmosphere. And mistakes happen, they sure do. Mistakes shouldn’t happen when you are one of two tables in a restaurant on a Thursday afternoon at 12 pm. Ugh.
So here is my advice dear reader; wake the hell up. If I can do it, I’m sure you are doing it to; trusting our servers. Servers are great people and tasked with many things at once; hence the anxiety dreams that haunt me. I will probably be cursed by all servers out there, but let’s just get this right! Servers have a responsibility to give the diner what they asked for, and we have the responsibility to call them out on their mistakes. I didn’t like the wine from the first sip, knew something was askew, and should have said something. Instead, I sat there disconcerted with my choice, wondering what was wrong with me, when all the time it was the wrong damn wine. I will return to Egan and Sons in Montclair, but just for a beer. Maybe that Argentinian red blend will find me somehow.
