Knowledge base · Drinks
Wine knowledge for front of house.
From the list to the table.
Table seven orders the sea bass and asks: "Which wine would you serve with it?" The new colleague looks at the list, then at the guest. She says: "I don't really drink wine myself." The guest takes the house wine, or a beer. Here you read what your front of house team needs to know about wine, how to use it as an upselling opportunity and how your team explains any wine in one sentence.
In short. Front of house doesn't need to be a sommelier. But everyone should be able to describe the house wines in one sentence, know one wine for every dish and recognise a wine fault. Every wine question is an upselling opportunity: with the dish, name the house wine and the bottle that is a little nicer, adds to the experience and brings in more margin. The guest chooses. Train fixed lines at the table and repeat briefly and often.
Try it yourself
Which wine do you serve with the fish?
This is how your team trains with CuliQuiz: three minutes a day on the phone. Play five about wine and see where you stand per topic.
Play it yourself on the phone on the rightPlay it yourself on the phone below
- 16 to 18°Cfor red wine. That is cooler than a room temperature of around 21°CSystembolaget; BNNVARA Kassa, 2024
- 8 to 10°Cfor white wine. Serve sparkling wine at 6 to 10°C, fuller sparkling wines a little warmer than lighter onesSystembolaget; Liebherr; Gault&Millau, 2025
- 10 mgsulphite per litre: from that level the label says "contains sulphites"EUFIC, 2022
01 · The basicsWhat do front of house staff need to know about wine?
Front of house doesn't need to be a sommelier. The requirements of SVH Wijn 3, the Dutch wine diploma for independently working hosts, do list a few topics that come back on the floor every shift.
Describing taste
Sweet or dry, light or full, acidity and tannin. In words a guest understands.
Wine and food
Finding out what the guest wants, advising and introducing the wine with a short story.
Serving
Opening a bottle, pouring, the right glass and the right temperature.
Recognising wine faults
Cork (TCA), oxidation or vinegar. And knowing what to do then.
Serving responsibly
What alcohol does and what the law asks of the seller.
Grape varieties, wine regions and viticulture are in there too. They are great for those who want to go further, but at the table they are not what counts first.
02 · The evidenceDoes a good description sell more wine?
Yes. A small 26-seat restaurant in Stuttgart tested different wine lists from October to June. With a short description per wine, wine sales were 7 percent higher on average than without a description. With an extended description, with origin, the winemaker's story and the taste, it was 13 percent.
It is one restaurant, so see it as a direction. We found no Dutch research on this.
A better description of the wine meant 13 percent more wine sales.
The study was about the text on the list. What is on the list, your team can also say at the table. So train fixed lines: one sentence per wine, one wine per dish and an answer to "which wine would you serve with it?"
03 · At the tableHow do you describe a wine in one sentence?
Use three contrasts: dry or sweet, light or full, crisp or soft. Then say one thing about the dish. That's all it takes.
| Wine on the list | How to say it at the table |
|---|---|
| House white | "Dry and crisp, with a hint of citrus. Lovely with the fish or as an aperitif." |
| House red | "Soft and smooth, not heavy. Goes with the chicken and the pasta." |
| Full red | "Full and powerful, with firm tannin. Made for the steak." |
| Rosé | "Dry and light, with red fruit. For the salad or on the terrace." |
| Dessert wine | "Sweet and full. With the crème brûlée, or instead of dessert." |
Example. Write the lines for your own list, together with your supplier or whoever buys the wine.
If a guest asks something you don't know, say so. "Good question, let me check" is better than a guess.
04 · Easy winsWhere do you gain the fastest?
You don't have to train the whole list. Start with the wines that go over the table most often.
- Know the house winesWhite, red and rosé: which grape and which country or region. Everyone in front of house can describe them in one sentence.Example line: "Dry and crisp, with a hint of citrus."
- One wine per dishPut one matching wine with every main course. On the menu or on the briefing sheet.Example line: "With the sea bass we recommend the sauvignon blanc."
- Taste in the briefingOne wine per briefing, a sip to taste and spit. Whoever has tasted it can tell the story.Example question: "How would you describe this one?"
So don't just sell the house wine as "house white". When a guest orders a glass of white wine, you say: "Our house wine is a sauvignon blanc, but we also have a chardonnay by the glass." That turns a wine question straight into an upselling opportunity. Name two wines with the dish: the house wine and the bottle that is a little nicer, adds to the experience and brings in more margin. The guest chooses. Read more about suggestions at the table in Upselling at the table.
Also have an answer ready for guests who don't want alcohol. One alcohol-free option you can recommend just as easily.
05 · ResponsiblyWhat does the law say about serving wine?
Wine is alcohol, also with food. Under the Dutch Alcohol Act you may not serve alcohol to young people under 18. If in doubt about someone's age, ask for ID.
You also may not keep serving guests who are visibly drunk. Agree with your team what they say then and who they call in. That way a young colleague doesn't have to handle it on their own.
06 · Your teamHow do you get your team on board?
Start with the newcomers
15 to 24 is the largest age group in Dutch hospitality. Many of them have just started. Give them words instead of a tasting lesson.
An answer to "which wine would you serve with it?"
Let everyone choose one wine per dish and say why. Then the guest gets an honest answer.
A short taste is enough
A sip in the briefing says more than a page of text.
Questions work better than explanation
Ask yesterday's line again in the briefing. Let your team say it themselves instead of reading it out.
Short and often
Better three minutes every day than one afternoon a year. That way wine comes back briefly every shift.
Frequently asked questions
What should front of house staff know about wine?
How to describe a wine in a few words, which wine goes with which dish, how to open and pour a bottle and how to recognise a wine fault. Also how to find out what the guest wants and how to serve responsibly.
Do you sell more wine with a good description?
Yes. In a restaurant in Stuttgart, wine sales were 13 percent higher with an extended description per wine on the list. It was one restaurant, so see it as a direction.
How do you sell more wine at the table?
Link the wine to the dish and name two wines: the house wine and the bottle that is a little nicer, adds to the experience and brings in more margin. The guest chooses. After the first glass, ask if the guest would like another.
How do you describe a wine to a guest?
With three contrasts: dry or sweet, light or full, crisp or soft. Add one thing about the dish. For example: "A dry, crisp white. It keeps the fish light."
What do you do when a guest says the wine is off?
Smell it yourself. If it smells musty, like wet cardboard, there is probably something wrong with the wine. Fetch a new bottle. If in doubt, ask a colleague or manager. To recognise it yourself, always smell the cork first when you open a bottle. Does the cork smell fine? Then the wine will most likely be fine too.
Can you keep serving wine to a guest who has had too much?
No. Under the Dutch Alcohol Act you may not serve alcohol to guests who are visibly drunk. Nor to young people under 18. If in doubt about age, ask for ID.
How CuliQuiz does it
Send us your wine list and your menu. We turn them into questions about your house wines, wine with your dishes, wine faults and responsible serving. You check them. Your team plays three minutes a day and you see per topic where knowledge falls short. Try free for 30 days, no payment details.
Sources (9)
- SVH: final attainment levels SVH Wijn 3 (valid from March 2021, version November 2022, Dutch)
- Sheridan and Dressler, Hochschule Ludwigshafen: Enhancing Restaurant Profits via Strategic Wine Sales, Businesses (2025)
- BNNVARA Kassa: the ideal serving temperature for red and white wine (April 2024, Dutch)
- EUFIC: What are sulphites in wine and are they bad for you? (2022)
- Systembolaget: serving temperature for wine (Swedish)
- Liebherr FreshMAG: the right drinking temperature for wine (Dutch)
- Gault&Millau: à quelle température servir mon vin? (April 2025, French)
- KHN: Amsterdam expects better compliance with alcohol serving rules (May 2023, Dutch)
- KHN: over half a million employees in hospitality (2024, Dutch)
This page is a practical translation of wine basics for the floor, not legal advice. Check the current rules in the Dutch Alcohol Act.