What is the proper action for a corked wine complaint?

• A. Wait until dessert to address
• B. Offer to replace the bottle with another and remove the faulty bottle; provide appropriate service
• C. Decant the bottle and continue
• D. Replace wine with the same bottle after exposing the cork

Answer: (B)

When a corked wine is suspected, the priority is to restore the guest’s experience by addressing the tainted bottle right away. Start with a genuine apology, remove the corked bottle from service, and offer to replace it with a fresh bottle of the same wine (or an alternative the guest prefers). Present the new bottle, ensure it’s properly chilled/decanted if needed, and pour it only at the guest’s request. Do not continue pouring from the corked bottle.

This approach protects the guest from a poor experience, maintains trust, and keeps the service on track. Waiting until dessert to fix it or attempting to proceed with the tainted wine would still leave a negative impression, and replacing with the same bottle after exposing the cork doesn’t address the issue.