For those whose noesis ofwineis limited to whatever lessons they break up up while watchingSideways , it can be tempt to tell a glass of the second - tinny wine on the menu at bars and restaurants . consort to this line of reasoning , you do n’t need to see punk by choosing the least expensive wine — but at the same time , it does n’t make sentience to order a high-priced vintage red ink if you ’re not the kind of wine partizan who confidently fuddle around terms like " backtalk - feel " and " hints of oak " and would therefore translate and appreciate the conflict in character .

Although this wine-colored hack is wide keep , theSkimmpoints out why it is n’t such a reasoned method . For one , restaurants are well aware of this customer habit and might even use it to their advantage by claim a bottle they ’re search to get disembarrass of and placing it in the second - inexpensive slot . That could mean that you ’re getting a not - so - greatbottle of wineand may have been well off ordering the cheapest one on the lean .

" I can confirm that restaurant will occasionally reprice a wine that they call for to move to make it the second - cheapest spot on the fare , " sommelier Kirsten Vicenza tellsAtlas Obscura . " It sell ! "

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And then there are the markups . accord toWine Enthusiast , the cheapest wines lean to have the high markup , so while your bank bill may be humbled than if you had ordered a top - tier wine , you ’re also getting the lowest value . The magazine recommend dictate a wine-colored somewhere in the middle — perhaps the third or 4th   cheap wine — to get more bang for your buck .

This is n’t a " concentrated and degraded rule , " though , asVinePairnotes . Sommeliers will sometimes frown the price of a lesser - known wine to encourage customer to essay it . If you ’re timid what to order , it never hurts to ask for a recommendation .

[ h / tSkimm ]