House wine (vin maison)

PeterLynn

PeterLynn

Senior Insider
Been listening to podcasts to refresh my French and an episode took place in a restaurant where they ordered "Vin maison...." Made me wonder, do any of the island restaurants offer a house wine? Can't say I've noticed it nor paid attention to it if they did. If any of them do, any of note?
 
A bartender friend of mine once told me that those requesting the "house red" are basically saying I don't want to ask for your cheapest wine but I'll have your cheapest wine.

It's sort of a bygone thing, no?
 
Not bygone. My wife drank white and I red and we always had a glass of house wine. I don’t recall it being bad. They always had a choice or two.
 
We have not see ‘house wine’ listed on a menu there. We have had guests who have asked for it on occasion. The response has been to serve them a glass without saying ‘we don’t have a house wine.’
 
PeterLynn said:
Been listening to podcasts to refresh my French and an episode took place in a restaurant where they ordered "Vin maison...." Made me wonder, do any of the island restaurants offer a house wine? Can't say I've noticed it nor paid attention to it if they did. If any of them do, any of note?
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I would defer to our native French speakers, but "vin maison" sounds more like "homemade or housemade wine" to me rather than "house wine".
I might expect to hear something like "vin en pichet" or "vin au verre".
What say our native or bilingual speakers?
 
cassidain said:
I would defer to our native French speakers, but "vin maison" sounds more like "homemade or housemade wine" to me rather than "house wine".
I might expect to hear something like "vin en pichet" or "vin au verre".
What say our native or bilingual speakers?
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I'd go with house wine... which you could certainly order as un pichet (ou carafe?) de vin... or vin au verre.. have never looked to see if places here have a house red or house white...
 
Cass, that I do not remember.

But I can still name Hideaway's outstanding front of the house crew!
 
My "two cents" . . . I make an effort to engage someone -- the waiter or, if possible, a proprietor -- to say, "I know that you probably have 'vin ordinaire' that you serve by the glass . . . but maybe there's something better that I can get?" In many cases, there will be a glass offered from a bottle or two of exceptional open-wine that is sitting behind the bar. A little extra effort, asked with a smile and needy voice, often yields a glass of vintage pleasure!
 
My bride is a big fan of the Chardonnay grape, finished in a buttery style. More than a few years ago she joined me on a business trip to London. She fell in love with the hotel bar’s house pour. Turns out it was Chassangne Montrachet at 25 BPS a glass :eek:
 
JEK said:
My bride is a big fan of the Chardonnay grape, finished in a buttery style. More than a few years ago she joined me on a business trip to London. She fell in love with the hotel bar’s house pour. Turns out it was Chassangne Montrachet at 25 BPS a glass :eek:
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Your description has me tasting a Far Niente Chardonnay in my mind. :thinking1: :up:
 
GramChop said:
Your description has me tasting a Far Niente Chardonnay in my mind. :thinking1: :up:
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One of my favorite wineries. We were wine club members for a couple of years. More a fan of their reds but their whites are pretty good too
 
Jim A said:
One of my favorite wineries. We were wine club members for a couple of years. More a fan of their reds but their whites are pretty good too
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I don't drink many Cabs, but there is usually a bottle of the Far Niente Chard in my wine fridge. A restaurant which I frequented, probably more than I should have, had the Chard mispriced on their menu - only about twice the retail cost, LOL.

The label is, I think, the most beautiful that I have ever seen.

But, getting back to the original post, Far Niente is not a house wine in anybody's world.
 
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