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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that someone working in posh catering should know more than a nano-sized amount about...

67 replies

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:12

...wine? I was recently at a posh do with food supplied by a catering company. When the waitress came round with the wine she said "Would you like red or white?". When I asked "What are the red and white wines?", she looked flummoxed and said "We have red and white wine, which would you prefer?". So I told her not to worry and took a look at the labels to check what types of wine they were serving.

Now, I'm no wine brainiac. I probably know about 3 types of red and white that I like the taste of. But I make a point of knowing my job inside out, and I think if you're being paid to dish up wine at a posh meal you should at least be able to say the name of the wine bottle in your hand, no? She was in roughly her 50s as well, so couldn't get away with the excuse of being an inexperienced yoof.

That said, the food looked lovely but was all rather bland. Looks like they know nothing about food either...in which case, perhaps IABU!

OP posts:

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:52

Onebig - nope, not seeking reassurance! Also, I did joke in my op that maybe I'm being U as the food wasn't as good as it looked! I don't mind being told that I'm U, as long as people explain their viewpoint in a considered way.

scotmum - asking the name of a wine is by no means expecting a "florid description"! If you have to exaggerate to prove your point, you've killed your own credibility!

Gold - yes, it would.

So to those who've said it makes a difference that it was at an event rather than a restaurant, why is this? Aren't event waiters usually employed as waiters elsewhere?

OP posts:

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 22:53

Arf at carabos! And thanks Punk.

OP posts:

QueenStromba · 13/09/2012 22:55

I've worked as a waitress at lots of these sort of do. I'd always be able to tell you exactly what was in each of the canapes, starters, mains and desserts but not once could I have told you what the wine was other than white or red and nobody ever asked me.

scottishmummy · 13/09/2012 22:56

lol,are you reduced to picking on other posts wording
to deflect your own post
your analogy was pants

scarlettsmummy2 · 13/09/2012 22:57

Do you really think someone on minimum wage, working as a waitress at that women's time of life, is likely to be a wine expert?

MrDobalina · 13/09/2012 23:03

OP the waitress probably didn't give a shit what the wine was, or give a shit that you thought she should know what the wine was; most other people don't give a shit that she doesn't know what the wine is. she could have checked the labels, but you did instead, so no problem

A 50 year old can still be inexperienced. She might be experienced at waitressing but still not know about the wine. Shes probably onto her next job now

MrDobalina · 13/09/2012 23:04

queen ive worked as a waitress at these types of dos also. Most of the time I was off my trolley

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 23:05

Wow, I'm really surprised, scarlett - is knowing the name of a wine really considered expertise? Hey, maybe I know more about wine than I realised! Oh, and we don't know whether she was on minimum wage, do we? She could have been a friend of the person who ran the company, or their partner, and paid above minimum wage.

Queen - seriously, I'm amazed that no-one ever asked you that. Was that in Britain or elsewhere? Maybe it's a British thing - we're not known for being 'into' wine, so perhaps that's it. To me it's just about what you like the taste of, and if I know I like the taste of something I'll be more likely to ask for it again.

Scotmum, you are lovely.

OP posts:

FishfingersAreOK · 13/09/2012 23:05

She shouldn't have to be a wine expert (the waitress) but her boss should have told her what the red and what the white was Rioja/Sancerre , Merlot/Chablis. It is exactly the same as Beef Wellington/Chicken with tarragon jus. My DH only likes Rioja as a red. Anything else is too tanniny for him. I only like Sancerre as a white (anything else reminds me on my 1990's wine bar evenings and make me cry/puke). So it is NU to expect to be at least told the basics.

Not knowing what wine it is could make DH chose a red he doesn't like makes him do any annoying teeth sucking thing or me throw up....

And we are not in the slightest bit wine buffs. ^^ is the total amount of wine knowledge between us.

scottishmummy · 13/09/2012 23:05

at such things most people I know when offered say red or white
thet don't expect waitress to know Jancis Robinson
it's no biggie

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 23:06

Arf at MrDob and her/ his missing trolley!

OP posts:

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 23:08

Fishfingers - my point exactly.

OP posts:

QueenStromba · 13/09/2012 23:16

This was in London. If anyone had asked me I would have just read the label on the bottle though - not that difficult!

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 23:25

OP posts:

notanaxemurderer · 13/09/2012 23:31

I'm not sure why everyone's acting like the OP is some massive snob for wanting to know what the wine was.

If I was asked if I wanted red or white I would base my decision on what each wine was, and I'm hardly a wine snob.

Original poster

MayaAngelCool · 13/09/2012 23:35

notanaxe - I suspect it's because some people have hang-ups about wine. Pity, 'cos it often tastes nice, so why care what anyone else thinks?

OP posts:

usualsuspect3 · 13/09/2012 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

senua · 14/09/2012 00:06

Am I going to out myself as a know-nothing?

I thought the rule was red meat = red wine, white meat = white white. You choose toyr wine according to the meal it is being served with, not which grape variety you hapen to like (and we are making the big assumption that catering wine was a single-grape not some cheap mishmash ...)

OhDearNigel · 14/09/2012 00:15

I think if you're being paid to dish up wine at a posh meal you should at least be able to say the name of the wine bottle in your hand, no?

Would you have been any the wiser if she'd said "it's called Rivages vin rouge" ? Probably not. I expect she was serving house wine which is non-specific varietal.
I waitress. I've also worked in a fine wine merchant and have a diploma in wine. Some of the piss that I serve up really is indistinguishable other than "this is a red wine. From France".

OhDearNigel · 14/09/2012 00:18

Aren't event waiters usually employed as waiters elsewhere?

Banquet table service is vastly easier than restaurant service

scottishmummy · 14/09/2012 00:19

lol top post
a glass of red pissy wine or white pissy wine
I do believe ive been guest at such functions

OhDearNigel · 14/09/2012 00:25

well, to be honest the backstory of most function wines is

"this wine is a botch up of a number of grapes of which you will never have heard, fermented in a giant vat larger than your house in a bland area in the arse end of rural France/Australia/Argentina and then bottled as soon as possible to ensure vast production levels"

Sophisticatedknickers · 14/09/2012 00:26

I thought your food analogy was rather good! I would expect a waitress to at least know the grape variety too.

MrDobalina · 14/09/2012 00:27

it would have been excellent if 50 year old minimum wage waitress, had come back with that description!

scottishmummy · 14/09/2012 00:29

they should have as description
pissy red or pissy white
that's spot on

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