4 common guest complaints about wine, and how a sommelier handles them

The short answer: listen to the end, thank the guest for telling you, offer a fix they can choose from, act quickly, then come back to check. Four wine complaints are worth rehearsing until they are second nature: the wine is faulty, the guest doesn't like it, it is at the wrong temperature, or it took too long.

The Court of Master Sommeliers expects an Advanced Sommelier to “handle queries and complaints with skill and diplomacy”. Here is what that looks like at the table.

The method, for any complaint

• Listen. Let the guest finish. Don't explain while they are still talking.
• Thank and acknowledge. “Thank you for telling me. Let me sort this out.” You are sorry for their experience; you are not arguing about the facts.
• Offer a choice. A replacement, an alternative, or something else. Choosing gives the guest back control.
• Act fast. A complaint handled quickly can become a story about great service.
• Check back. Return after the first sip of the new wine.
• Fix the cause afterwards. Tell your team and your manager, and change what needs changing.

1. “I think this wine is off”

• What it usually is: cork taint (a musty smell of damp cardboard, from a compound called TCA), oxidation (flat, bruised-apple or sherry-like), or a bottle that was stored too warm.
• What to do: ask if you may taste it, and pour a small amount in front of the guest. If it is faulty, say so plainly and bring a fresh bottle of the same wine, or another wine if they have lost confidence in it.
• If you're not sure: replace it anyway. Arguing over a borderline bottle costs more than the bottle.
• Afterwards: keep the bottle and the cork aside for your supplier, and note it in the breakage or returns log.
• Learn the faults: can wine go bad? corked wine and the other faults.

2. “I just don't like it”

• What it usually is: a sound wine that isn't what the guest expected. A Chablis when they imagined a buttery Chardonnay; a dry Riesling when they expected sweet.
• What to do: ask what they don't like, so the next choice is better. If you recommended the wine, own it and replace it. If they chose it themselves, house policy decides, but goodwill usually wins: an opened bottle can often be sold by the glass.
• The trap: telling the guest the wine is correct. They didn't come to be right; they came to enjoy dinner.

3. “It's too warm” or “It's too cold”

• Too warm: put the bottle in an ice bucket with water and ice, not ice alone. Water chills faster. Offer to pour after a few minutes.
• Too cold: take it out of the bucket and leave it on the table; the glass and the room will warm it.
• Prevent it: the Court's Service Standards give serving temperatures, for example 7–10°C for light whites and rosés, 10–13°C for light reds such as Gamay, and 15–18°C for medium and full-bodied reds. A red at 'room temperature' in a warm dining room is often too warm.

4. “We've been waiting for our wine”

• What to do: apologise, give a time you can keep, and keep it. If the food is about to land, bring the bottle first; wine should arrive before the food, not after it.
• If the wine needs decanting or chilling, say so when the guest orders, and offer something by the glass to start.
• Prevent it: good mise en place. Glasses polished, buckets ready and whites chilled before the doors open.

Other complaints you will hear

• “This isn't the vintage on the list.” Tell the guest before you open it, show them the bottle, and let them choose. Then fix the list: the Court's standards ask for a list that is correct and up to date.
• “The prices are too high.” Don't defend the list. Point to two good bottles at a lower price and describe them with the same care you'd give an expensive one.
• “You don't have my favourite wine.” Ask what they love about it, and suggest the closest style you have.
• “I didn't expect the bill to be this much.” Check the bill together, calmly, and bring in the manager if a price was misunderstood.

Hospitality asks a lot of the person giving it. I wrote about that side in hospitality is brutal; you don't have to be. To practise these moments with your team, use my 6 wine service role-play scenarios.

Questions people ask