What is the solo diner to do? One glass is rarely enough for those with a healthy thirst, but a whole bottle is generally too much, although, as previously discussed, the latter’s value for the money is much better if you foresee ordering multiple glasses. Sometimes the solution is a half bottle, which offers the diner about two and a half glasses, more than enough to raise a glass to yourself and wash away the mild unease of dining alone. But many restaurants do not offer half bottles or carafes, or quartinos for that matter, and when they do, the selection can be dreadfully sparse.
The way forward is clear: order a full bottle. No, I’m not advising you to down an entire bottle, unless it is an imbibing emergency and you keep well clear of a steering wheel. Many states now allow restaurants to recork or rescrew your bottle so that you can take it home, which is a fine, elegant solution.
But if leaving with your wine is not possible or desired, there is great satisfaction in gifting the remainder of your bottle to the staff. Simply slide it to your server or the bartender and with Bogartian swagger, tell ’em to “spread it around.” And you were wondering how to speed the process of becoming a regular at that hot new restaurant?
Even more karmically rewarding is to offer your wine to another table. This can be so enriching that I still recall where (Sonoma), what (Radio-Coteau “La Neblena” Pinot Noir), and for whom (a sweet couple visiting from Atlanta) I first did this. A week later they tracked me down online and sent a delightful thank-you note. The best part of making such an offering is getting to decide the target of your largesse, as if you were piloting one of those roaming Publishers Clearing House trucks.