Is it acceptable for a waiter to taste your wine before they bring it to you?

Is it acceptable for a waiter or sommelier to taste your wine before they bring the bottle to you? I’ve seen them not only tasting, but swallowing wine the customer has paid for – out of sight and without asking permission.
S.J., Bondi Junction, NSW

Credit: Simon Letch

Perhaps the customer should have asked for a discount! Seriously, though, this isn’t unusual and is all about quality control. A trained sommelier will have a better chance of detecting cork-taint, oxidation or other faults than the average punter. And I note in the longer version of your question that all the bottles you saw him open were cork-sealed.

Sommeliers could ask permission of the customer before tasting, but that would quickly become a very time-consuming business since many people would want to have a discussion about what the sommelier was up to.

I suspect the volume of wine actually consumed is very small, so would hardly be costing the diner anything, nor compromising the somm’s sobriety.

Most professionals don’t need to take a gulp: a tiny sip of wine is enough to taste it. This tasting is usually carried out away from the dining room. I note that you were seated at the bar and so had a view of the somm’s activities that most diners wouldn’t have had.

Another important factor is the education of the sommelier. The restaurant you mentioned has an extensive list of wine, mostly Spanish, which is quite rare in Australia. It’s important for the staff to be as knowledgeable as they can about as many of the wines as possible. It’s probably not feasible for the staff in this restaurant to taste every wine with any frequency.

If you have a concern about anything restaurant staff are doing, have no qualms about questioning them. They’ll more than likely be chuffed to have a guest who’s interested enough to ask. Then, of course, you’ll have to work out how to get them to stop talking!

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