All winter, diners dream of manicured restaurant patios and lively sidewalk seating, patiently waiting to enjoy a crisp glass of Muscadet and a platter of oysters al fresco. In reality, outdoor dining typically involves a lot of sweat, unpredictable thunderstorms, and the occasional rogue fly, beatle, or bee that wants to nose-dive into your long-anticipated glass of white.
While some might be comfortable fishing out the bug and moving on with their day, other more squeamish guests might be completely turned off. So if you catch an insect treating your wine like an all-expenses-paid resort, is it rude to ask for a new glass? VinePair tapped James O’Brien, owner of Popina — home to one of Brooklyn’s best backyard patios — to provide some guidance.
For the most part, restaurants understand the unlucky situation and are willing to bring a new glass — even though the issue is not the fault of their service. “If we see someone trying to fork a bug out, we will of course ask them if they want a new glass of wine” O’Brien says. “After all, we are in the game of hospitality; so if taking a hit on a glass of wine allows them to have a better experience then so be it.”
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While O’Brien insists that replacing by-the-glass items is no big deal, drinkers might be out of luck when it comes to ordering bottles. If you order a bottle of rosé and an unwelcome friend wants to join in on the party, the staff might be more than happy to help get you new stemware, but it’s unlikely the restaurant will open a new bottle to replace the wine lost — especially if it’s a rare or expensive wine that can’t be easily replaced.
“If needed, we would pour the replacement glass from a new bottle and try to hand-sell the rest,” O’Brien notes. “At a certain price point we would probably offer an alternative pour so they are still getting something — it might not be the Roumier or Roulot they bought, but it will be tasty.”
One solution that O’Brien suggests for enjoying a bottle on a particularly buggy evening is to only pour small amounts of the wine in your glass at a time. “That way, if a bug does fly in, it’s not a huge loss,” he says.
Ultimately, if a misguided fly makes its way into your wine, don’t be afraid to politely ask your server to see what they can do to help. But at the end of the day, these establishments work on tight margins. So while most will be happy to assist you as much as they can, they might not always be able to oblige.
