Mise en place for wine service: the sommelier's checklist

The short answer: mise en place means “put in place”: everything ready before the first guest sits down. For wine service, the Court of Master Sommeliers lists it plainly: a clean, correct wine list; wines stored neatly at the right temperature; clean, odour-free glasses; folded service cloths; tools, ice buckets, coasters and decanters ready; and service from the guest's right wherever possible.

Good service looks calm because the work was done earlier. Here is the checklist, item by item, with the Court's standards as the base.

1. The wine list

The standard: clean, correct, up to date and easy to read. Before each service:

• Remove or mark any wine that has sold out.
• Check every changed vintage and price against the till.
• Replace stained or worn copies.
• Know what is new, and taste it if you haven't.

A list that matches the cellar and the till is much easier with bin numbers.

2. The cellar and the fridges

• Stored neatly and organised correctly, so anyone can find a bottle fast.
• Long-term storage: a constant 10–13°C, bottles lying down with the label up. Lying down keeps the corks moist; label up makes stocktaking easier and shows where the sediment has settled.
• Never in strong light, damp, vibration or heat.
• Service temperatures ready before the doors open (see the table below).

3. Glassware

• Clean and free from odour. Smell a few glasses from the rack; detergent and cupboard smells ruin wine.
• Steam over hot water, then polish: the bowl first, the stem and foot last.
• The right cloth: clean, lint-free microfibre, linen or cotton. Nylon and man-made fibres repel water and leave streaks.
• Polish safely: hold the glass by the bowl and the base together, and never twist the bowl against the stem. At the Advanced and Master levels, the Court expects you to teach others safe polishing, handling and storage.
• Enough of each shape for the night, plus spares. For which shapes to buy, see the best wine glasses.

4. The table

Only glass stemware touches the tablecloth. Bottles, decanters and corks go on an underliner or a coaster, cleaned and polished before service. It protects the cloth, and it looks cared for.

5. Your station and your pockets

• Service cloths, folded and ready.
• Opening tools, organised: a wine key, a spare, and an Ah-So for old, fragile corks. My picks are in the best wine keys for sommeliers.
• Pens and a notepad. The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas' standards ask for two openers, two pens, a pad, and two odourless lighters or matches.
• Ice buckets and stands, filled with ice and water.
• Coasters and underliners, clean and polished.
• Decanters and decanting tools: decanter, candle, matches, a lined basket, ready on the guéridon.
• Trays for carrying glasses.

6. Temperatures

The Court's serving temperatures, in degrees Celsius:

“Room temperature” for red wine is a trap in a warm dining room. Most reds are better served a little cool than too warm.

7. Before the doors open

• Taste every open by-the-glass bottle, and date any you open.
• Check your preservation system if you use one, and that the gas or capsules are stocked.
• Talk to the kitchen: new dishes, changed sauces, the specials. Have a pairing ready for each.
• Read the reservations: a birthday or an anniversary may mean a bottle of Champagne already on ice.

8. During service: serve from the right

The Court's standards say beverage service is performed to the right of the guest wherever possible. The full sequence, from presenting the bottle to pouring for the host, is in the Court's Service Standards, and in my Certified service exam tips.

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