Wine lists can be daunting, whether they run to 10 pages and 200 bottle options, or are short but unintelligible, packed with niche grape varieties.If you don’t consider yourself a wine aficionado, or want something that will not break the bank, bar jabbing a finger at the list and hoping for the best, chances are you will choose a glass of the house.But even this can be a fraught decision. After all, with a sommelier looming over you, isn’t it a bit cheap to order the house wine? And doesn’t it reveal you to be a complete wine dunce?“No one likes to look cheap, do they?” says Katie Fecak, wine educator and owner of London-based boutique wine-tasting business Cellar Door Social. It is a scenario that often leads people to order the second wine on the list instead. “But restaurants know people don’t want to look cheap, so the highest mark-up is normally on the second wine.”Many people are insecure about ordering house wine because they think it makes them look cheap, but this isn’t the case, experts say. Photo: Getty ImagesThings to consider when ordering house wineSome restaurants and hotels work with vineyards to produce their own branded house wine, which you can often buy to take home.
Is house wine good? Experts uncork the truth and reveal what to look for
A sommelier and a wine educator share why house wine can be the best-value, freshest choice at restaurants and some drawbacks to be aware of.







