This evening I had the experience of being served merlot at a supposedly reputable restaurant in glasses which were emblazoned with the name of the establishment and partitioned with actual white line markings for the half-glass and full-glass levels. Am I alone in my shock and outrage at this tackiness?
The overall atmosphere at Sette Osteria (Connecticut Ave. and R St.) was reasonably pleasant, and although I did not order a meal, my companions seemed to enjoy their entrees. Nonetheless, I can’t seem to get past the “Sette” logo wine glasses with their volume indicators. They might as well have served my wine in a branded one-pint Pyrex measuring cup. What am I missing here? I am eagerly awaiting your responses, hoping someone will enlighten me as to when this became desirable. Thank you.
-
08Dec
4 Responses
I can’t vouch for the veracity of this, but coincidentally a friend of mine this past weekend told me that this is common in Europe, particularly in England and Germany, where the glasses are marked with lines because of a legal requirement that the liquid must be poured at /least/ to that level. This is supposed to ensure not that the establishment pour only and precisely that amount, but in fact so that the customer doesn’t get shorted. I can see how this is somewhat critical for beverages with a head, but not so much for wine.
Thank you, Thom. Now that does make some sense, and I am enlightened and less outraged for it. In fact, I probably sound completely foolish to those who have seen this overseas. I suspected at first that it was a common practice in some other regions of the world, but it seemed so strange here in the states (and the restaurant logo on the glass didn’t help). Still, the half- and full-glass portions seemed small, relative to other places I had been, contributing to me sense of having been wronged, but that also could be a misjudgement.
Don’t bank on the European explanation too rigidly. If I recall correctly, this almost exclusively applies to beer (as Thom hints), as wine (at least in France) is poured with pride until coming as close to running over as possible. I don’t think I ever encountered a “double line” system, and I agree with your initial impression of such a practice as tacky beyond all belief.
JK: Most of the wine glasses I’ve seen here in Bavaria are marked with either 0.2l or 0.25l. When the glass wasn’t marked, the wine came in a little pitcher with a clear 0.25l mark. I’m pretty sure it’s required. Even soda is served in marked glasses.
Some clubs use soda glasses with 0.2/0.4l or 0.3/0.5l markings.