I also considered titling this post "Wine Tips for Servers," because the article I'm referring to at the Wine Lover's Page also provides some helpful tips for those who serve wine. While I no longer have to wait on tables, (and I don't mean to put down the profession, just wasn't a good fit for me) I did it for many years in and out of college, and agree with the author that most servers' wine training, or really any training, can be spotty at best.

For my very first server job, I was given a pad, a pen, and told, "Go ask them what they want." It was a dumpy little pizza place that served the occasional Sangria, but that's about it.

For my second job at an upscale pub that catered to local business people, I was given a little more training. I was also shown how to present and serve wine properly. We even had champagne on the menu, but of course, the owner had to do that if anyone ever ordered it, which wasn't often. But I had zero clue about what is exactly in the bottle. As a college student with little wine funding, I was lucky to score a bottle of Blue Nun now and then.

Finally, my last serving job was at sort of steak house, which had a full bar. I had to take a 150 question test before I could work tables on my own, and life-time student that I am, I managed to get the highest score anyone had ever gotten on the test. Weirdly enough, instead of making me waitress of the year, this kind of ticked everyone off, including management who demanded to know why I did so well. It's called studying for the test, folks! But, again, I had no real knowledge of alcoholic beverages. In fact, I sort of guessed on the mixed drink portion of the test because I realized that 90% of mixed drinks have vodka in them. When it doubt, I put down vodka as my answer.

So, what do you do as a server when you have little training or knowledge when it comes to pair wine with food? You read Vino 101 and find out things like what you can recommend with unusual, yet popular, appetizers such as chicken wings:

Most guests think of beer with wings, because of tradition, but beer may not always be the best match to create magic inside your mouth. Your job is to be confident enough to sell wine to complement the wings.

Remember, most people walking through your establishment's doors have never considered the idea that wings can be enjoyed with a nice glass of wine. Furthermore, on a drink-per-drink basis, wine consumers often order more glasses of wine than they would beer, since a glass of wine is only 5 ounces, compared with a 12- or 16-ounce serving of beer. So on average, you can expect a larger check with wine drinkers; moreover, a glass of wine is typically more expensive than a beer.

If the wings are hot-and-spicy, a slightly sweet, light, and low-alcohol white makes a fine match. A Riesling from Washington State or a German Auslese or Spätlese can be awesome with spicy Buffalo-style wings.

If the wings are mild, though, and your guest wants a red wine, suggest a young Zinfandel. Barbecue-based or other sweet wings preps will be complemented by a powerful Syrah/Shiraz or Grenache-based red, as the wines' astringent tannins beautifully mesh with the thick, sweet sauce while cutting through the fat in the wings. A fruit-forward Merlot is another fine choice [...], so long as it was opened recently so those black currant, plum, earth, and herbaceous tones are still fresh.