Why do restaurants serve glasses of wine in carafes?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
What’s your opinion on those little cruets that a single glass of wine is sometimes poured from in a restaurant when ordered by the glass? Is it better for the glass to be poured directly from the bottle?
—Bob, York, Maine
Dear Bob,
Not to get all technical on you, but cruets have toppers. The proper term here is “carafe,” and I adore them.
First off, serving local wine in a carafe is standard in some parts of Italy and France. It depends on the size of the carafe (and your wineglass), but typically the carafes are larger than a glass of wine, but smaller than a standard bottle of wine. In my experience, carafe prices are more aligned with by-the-bottle prices, which are more affordable on a per-ounce basis than by-the-glass prices. I’ve started to see some U.S. restaurants offer wines by the “quartino,” which is like a carafe and usually corresponds to a third of a bottle. I like to think of it as the Goldilocks size of wine service.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I order a glass of wine, I’m not sure how many ounces I’ll be getting (or how full my glass will arrive). Carafes make it easier for the restaurant to track inventory, to avoid over- or under-pouring, and to make sure I’m getting exactly what I paid for. They take the mystery out of the by-the-glass pour, which is better for both servers and customers. I also like controlling the amount of wine in my glass because I’m a vigorous (read: messy!) swirler. Serving wine in individual carafes also avoids the occasional awkward encounter when a server keeps topping my wine off, but I’m trying to slow down on my consumption as the end of the meal approaches.
I’m also someone who sometimes likes to have different wines paired with my dishes, and ordering a bottle isn’t always an option—not everyone at the table has the same thing in mind, or it’s just too much wine. The more options by the carafe (or glass), the better. How carafes are handled can vary from place to place. In some restaurants, the server pours the wine into the carafe from the bottle tableside, so there’s no question about what you’re getting, which is a nice touch.
—Dr. Vinny
