Wine & Beverage
A nine-course menu can be drunk in three ways: a standard pairing, a prestige pairing, or a bottle or two chosen with the sommelier. Each suits a different table, and only one of them is obviously good value.
By The Reservation Desk Editorial Team · Published March 21, 2025 · Last updated · 7 min read
The standard pairing follows the menu course by course, weighted toward wines that resolve a specific dish rather than wines chosen to impress. The prestige tier substitutes older and rarer bottles at a considerable premium.
Pours are small by design. Across nine courses the total is comparable to most of a bottle per person, which is why the sommelier team will happily slow the sequence on request.
For two people who both drink, one well-chosen bottle for the seafood third and a second for the meat courses frequently costs less than two standard pairings and gives you more wine.
The cellar list is long enough that this only works with help. Give the sommelier a price and a preference and let them work — this is the part of the job they most enjoy.
One pairing shared between two guests is permitted at most tables and is a sensible middle path when one person is driving back over the valley.
Non-alcoholic pairings are prepared with the same seriousness and are not an afterthought at this level of restaurant.
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