To begin, you’ll want to ask for the wine list right when your server hands you a menu. This will give you ample time to explore it. Once you have the wine list in your hands, size it up.

I've spent the past 12 years trying to learn my way around wines, and at this point I know more than your average roast-chicken eater. So when the sommelier dropped the list, I commandeered it.

How to Read a Wine List Wading through all those options can be easier than you think. By Joseph Nase All you wanted was a bottle of wine. Now, you're looking down the barrel of a sixty-page list.

Starting with the basics, a wine list will generally run from bubbles through whites to rosés and reds. After that, though, the list’s organization can tell you something about the restaurant.

The menu contains a multitude of “entry level” wines, with more than 60 wines on the list. Edgy and quirky The Unruly Pig’s wine menu also has an ‘edgy and quirky’ section, with staff recommending ...