Wine Glass

[jumpinjackflash]

So I met up with a pal earlier this afternoon for a bottle of wine at The Actress. Imagine our surprise when barman serves it with two glass tumblers! Am I missing something? Is there a new wine glass etiquette in SE22? When I politely asked barman for two 'appropriate' wine glasses his response was 'well, this is how they drink wine in France'. Hmm, really? I don't recall drinking from those last time I was in Paris. Perhaps if I was drinking in some old rural French village, dining on crusty bread and Brie it would have been acceptable.

Barman's alternative was two cider glasses which we declined so settled on Champagne glasses! :-S

Anyway, maybe I'm being a snob..but I do think the majority of wine drinkers like their vino in a proper glass and they should have at least had a couple out the back!

Rant over..I'm off to pour a glass of Hermitage 2003 into a mahoosive goldfish bowl.

Sante!

[PeckhamRose]

For the price you pay for wine in pubs I'd want a proper wine glass.

His excuse is pathetic! It's not even a french pub, or why did they call it The Actress (and not "Le" and whatever the French is for Actress!)

[jumpinjackflash]

Exactly PR!

[RosieH]

Zut alors. This has been covered many times before on the forum.

Suffice to say that they do drink wine out of tumblers in Parisian bistros, just as they drink cava out of tumblers in Barcelona. And if you think Paris goblets would be more "appropriate" (i.e. somehow better for serving wine, rather than simply meeting your misguided aesthetic sensibilities) then your snobbery is compounded by ignorance.

Case closed.

Next.

[edcam]

What Rosie said.

[jumpinjackflash]

bore off Miss Self-Righteous....damn right wine tastes better in a 'goblet'..but obviously you know far more about wine etiquette than all the world's Sommeliers. Now go away and pour yourself some Liebfraumilch in a Happy Meal cup

[MrBen]

That made me chuckle Jumpinjackflash! I agree. At the Actress it's just a lame gimmick, rather than any attempt authenticity. And we're not French are we?

[Mick Mac]

I'm with JJF. Vineyards give you lovely tasting glasses which make the wine nice to look, smell and taste.

If you choose the house wine in a caraffe with a couple of tumblers in a Paris bistro then its the cheap option.

[Annette Curtain]

" Whatever next, square plates ? "http://tellyspotting.org/files/2011/01/Dame-Maggie-Smith-as-Lady-Grantham-Dowager-Countess-in-Downton-Abbey.jpeg

[Fiacre]

A bottle and a straw does my missus!

[Moos]

I wouldn't mind the tumblers as such if one didn't suspect they use them for the same reason I use tumblers for wine at home - a whole load easier to wash up.

[*Bob*]

This is just phase one of current plans at The Actress to recreate the full Parisian experience.

Phase two will see the removal of all toilet furniture, to be replaced by the 'hole in the floor surrounded by a lake of piss' system.

[RosieH]

I don't think it's a lame gimmick. Is a pub, not a fancy resto.

Depending who my guests are for dinner, I often serve wine in tumblers - less likely to get knocked over - I've lost many a crystal wine glass to a cack-handed piss-head, so I now save the Riedel for when it's less likely to get smashed. I have no problem with a pub doing likewise - and the very fine, award-winning Anchor & Hope on the cut do exactly that:

Yes, we have been ridiculed for our tumblers but I'm not changing them, there are just too many breakages. The wine list would have to be more expensive if we did, and as I said, this is not what we're about." Fair point. I can do wine in tumblers (not). Next topic, wine glasses and how I hate the Paris Goblet.

[*Bob*]

That's not quite a full picture of the H&A wine glass policy though:

"Though to be fair, you only get a tumbler if you ask for one of the wines offered by the glass. Once you move off these, and you go up a price notch, you get proper stemware"

So the policy is cheap wine = cheap glass, which seems most reasonable.

Is this the same at The Actress, or is it tumblers all round?

[red devil]

Phase 3 = Gallic shrug

[Annette Curtain]

Personally

I prefer mine like this.

NETTE:-$

[Jeremy]

This has been covered in some depth on these pages before. Scott was determined that they were not going to change their policy.

Just don't go back if the tumblers upset you. There are plenty of other options nearby.

[*Bob*]

Anyway, forget about wine glass snobbery.. what about tumbler snobbery?

If you're going to serve tumblers you should be serving properly chilled small measures in 22cl Duralex glasses, preferably Picardie (but Provence would be acceptable), rather than a glass of tepid white, served in an oversized style-free tumbler - as was dished-up on our last visit.

[Annette Curtain]

No really, I prefer an Oak Quaich myself.

[*Bob*]

Perhaps for the reds, Annette, yes. But I think you'd need the Spalted Beech for anything white, surely?

[red devil]

Medieval accoutrements eh?, all that's missing is a...

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuD78dHMJlPRqi4TYfGiU3yjyGCr3K_aLyZSYUgWgWumJX3YATCg

[*Bob*]

A bloke in a dress?

[red devil]

You obviously went on a 'special' Friday night *Bob*...

[RosieH]

jumpinjackflash Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> bore off Miss Self-Righteous....damn right wine

> tastes better in a 'goblet'..but obviously you

> know far more about wine etiquette than all the

> world's Sommeliers.

No. Just more than you. Apparently.

Edited to add the "apparently". Don't want to appear rude!

[Willard]

Never mind the wine, what about the ale? There's one in the Actress called "Beaver". Avoid it like the plague, tastes disgusting, and no it's not served in a furry cup.