Ordering wine at a restaurant in India without the stress

Read the list for its structure

Most wine lists follow a simple order: sparkling, white, rosé, red, then sweet or fortified. Within each section wines are often arranged by country or region, sometimes by style, from light to full-bodied.

Look first for the wines sold by the glass. They let you try something without committing to a bottle. Then look at the grape names. Many Indian lists name the grape clearly. Our grape varieties guide tells you what each one tastes like. If a wine is labelled only by region, as many French and Italian wines are, our guide to reading a wine label helps.

Set a budget and say it without saying it

Decide how much you want to spend before you open the list. If you want advice, point to a price on the list while asking the server or sommelier: "Something along these lines, to go with what we are ordering." Staff understand exactly what that means. Nobody else at the table needs to.

A common belief is that the second cheapest wine on the list is the worst value. There is no reliable rule like that. A good restaurant chooses every wine for a reason. Indian wines on Indian lists are often better value than imports of a similar style, because imports carry heavy duties and taxes.

Choose for the food

Indian meals are often shared, with many dishes on the table at once. Pick a wine that copes with variety rather than one perfect match for one dish.

• Spicy, chilli-hot food. An off-dry white such as Chenin Blanc or Riesling. A little sweetness and fresh acidity calm the heat.
• Tandoori and grilled dishes. A light to medium red with soft tannin, or a dry rosé.
• Rich, creamy curries. A fuller white, such as a lightly oaked Chardonnay or Viognier.
• Seafood and coastal food. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a sparkling wine.

Big, tannic, high-alcohol reds make chilli taste hotter, so save them for milder dishes. Our guide to wine and Indian food pairing goes deeper. These are suggestions. If you love a wine, drink it.

What the tasting ritual is for

The bottle is shown to you so you can check it is the wine you ordered, with the right vintage. Then the server opens it and pours a small amount for you to taste.

This taste is to check the wine is not faulty. It is not to decide whether you like it. You ordered it, so it is yours unless something is wrong. Swirl, smell, take a sip and nod. Thirty seconds is plenty.

If the restaurant offers you the cork, there is no need to smell it. Looking at it can show whether wine has seeped up the side, a possible sign of heat damage, but the wine itself tells you more.

When to send a bottle back

Send a bottle back if it is faulty. The common faults are:

• Cork taint. A musty, damp cardboard or wet basement smell, with muted fruit.
• Oxidation or heat damage. Flat, brownish, with a stewed or sherry-like smell in a wine that should be fresh. Common where wine has been stored in a hot room.
• Vinegar. A sharp, acetic smell.

Describe what you notice calmly: "I think this one is corked, it smells musty." A good restaurant will taste it and replace it. Not liking the style is not a fault, so if you are unsure what you ordered, ask before the bottle is opened.

Temperature, corkage and pace

• Temperature. In a warm dining room, a red served at room temperature can taste hot and soupy. It is fine to ask for a few minutes in an ice bucket. Ask for whites to be kept in one.
• Corkage. Some restaurants allow you to bring your own bottle for a fee. Whether this is allowed depends on the restaurant and on state rules, so always ask first.
• Pace. Drink water alongside, order food with the wine and never drive after drinking. A bottle shared across a table over a long meal is the intended way to enjoy it.

Knowing how wine is made (and why one bottle tastes different from another) turns the list from a guessing game into a menu you can actually read.