Does the beautiful wine wall or gorgeous wine room of an upscale restaurant influence your decision when ordering wine? Do aesthetics affect your mood and decision-making? Absolutely! When I see a wine wall or glowing amber wooden wine cellar, I instantly feel the quality of the wine choices go up.
Foodies and Wine Lovers
Going out to dinner can be so much more than just eating. Walking into a dimly-lit restaurant in the evening can be full of anticipation for a delicious dining experience. We look forward to hearing the specials the chef has concocted for the night. You may be a self-proclaimed foodie, but let’s face it, you like wine, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog.
Bring on the Ambience
Seeing an elegantly crafted wine room or even a wall of wine enhances the ambiance of any bar or restaurant. I will assume the wine selection is higher if the proprietor takes a particular interest in the wine storage. It visually entices the patron to choose a special wine adding to the overall dining experience.
Pairing Food with Wine
Steak and Cabernet
If you have been around the wine world long enough, you have started to differentiate quality and taste versus price. You may see the most highly rated wine, but you know your own palate best. You may be at a restaurant with a wine expert on tap to help guide you through your choice. There are so many options. Or maybe you glance at the Wine Wall and see your favorite Bordeaux or the king of reds, Cabernet. You don’t have to see the menu because you are getting the filet.
Cool off with White Wines
White wine lovers won’t be denied. Nothing beats that crisp pear, sour apple, and buttery white that hits the spot on a warm summer night. You may be so bold as to ask to see the wine storage. I am pretty sure your audacity will pay off. As you are led into the wine room to pick your bottle, you already know since it’s 90 degrees outside, you are getting a Chardonnay. You enter the wine room and see wall-to-wall wood paneling. Wine panels and walls of reds hung beautifully as though suspended in mid-air. Then behind a glass door, you see the soft golden yellows lit up like a warm sunset. Salmon and Chardonnay, this is what summer evenings were made for.
Environmental Equation
Did the beautiful mahogany wood shelves or leather paneled wall of wine lure you away from your same old martini? Possibly the environmental influences guided your meal and drink choice. Whether you chose white or red, steak or salmon, you became part of the ambiance equation enjoying your evening. Were your senses enhanced by the upgraded wine storage leading to more enjoyable choices? I can’t be sure, but it looks inviting. I wish I had one of these wine rooms at my house.
