Here’s a thing. Whenever I’m buying wine in an off-licence, I always peruse the information on the label about alcohol strength. Most of the time, and always if I am buying more than one bottle because I’m hosting people for dinner, what I buy is based on this information.
What I’m looking for is a low alcohol content.
It doesn’t mean that sometimes I won’t buy red wine that is 14 per cent proof or more, but at least I know in advance exactly what I’ll be drinking. There is a big difference between a light white wine that’s 11 per cent and a stonking red wine that’s 15 per cent. Red wines tend to be stronger in alcohol content anyway, and so I look particularly careful at those.
If I’m hosting people, as I frequently do, and it’s going to be a long night because the company is good, I will never choose to serve my guests a wine that is three or four degrees a stronger proof than it needs to be. I want to have a good time around my table, but not at the cost of any of us having horrible headaches next day.
So why is it that most restaurants in Ireland never display alcohol strength on their wine menus? It baffles me. It should be as easy to include as the price. Some menus waffle on at length about the taste of the wine, but they don’t use the tiny amount of space that the figures of the alcohol strength would take up.
When I’m eating out, I want to know what I’m drinking. Not just the type of grape, or the location of the vineyard, or the country of origin of the wine. I want to know how strong it is. I especially want this information if I’m eating out during a working week.
Yes, I could ask the waiter to find out, but wine lists are usually pretty long, and it would be frustrating for all parties involved to witness the lengthy back-and-forth situation that would inevitably result.
I don’t know why this information isn’t included on restaurant menus. Is there anyone out there running a restaurant who can tell me why?
