#150 Ordering Takeout at a Café｜French Shopping Phrases
Izumi Curious French
#184 Ordering Wine at a Restaurant｜French Dining Phrases
Izumi
When you dine at a restaurant, you will often have the opportunity to order wine together with your meal. However, wine comes in a wide variety of types, including different labels, regions, and flavor profiles, and you may sometimes feel unsure about what to choose.
For this reason, if you know how to ask the staff for recommendations or how to describe your taste preferences, you can order with confidence.
In this section, I will explain useful French expressions for ordering wine at a restaurant, based on a practical conversation example.
Contents
Dialogue
Nous aimerions commander une bouteille de vin, s’il vous plaît.
（We would like to order a bottle of wine, please.）
Bien sûr. Préférez-vous du vin rouge, blanc ou rosé ?
（Of course. Would you prefer red, white, or rosé wine?）
Plutôt du rouge. Auriez-vous quelque chose de pas trop tannique ?
（Preferably red. Do you have something that is not too tannic?）
Oui, je peux vous proposer un Pinot Noir, assez léger et fruité.
（Yes, I can recommend a Pinot Noir. It is fairly light and fruity.）
Très bien. Est-ce qu’il est servi frais ou à température ambiante ?
（Sounds good. Is it served chilled or at room temperature?）
Légèrement frais, pour mieux révéler les arômes.
（Slightly chilled, to better reveal the aromas.）
Parfait, merci beaucoup.
（Perfect, thank you very much.）
1. Ordering Wine
When you want to order wine at a restaurant, you can say:
Example
- Nous aimerions commander une bouteille de vin.
（We would like to order a bottle of wine.）
The expression “nous aimerions” means “we would like to” and is a polite way to place an order.
By using the conditional form of the verb “aimer” (aimerions), you can express your request in a softer and more indirect way.
Wine, being a liquid, is normally treated as an uncountable noun. In French, partitive articles (du / de la / de l’) are used, as in “du vin” (wine) and “boire du vin” (to drink wine).
In expressions such as “une bouteille de vin” (a bottle of wine), which follow the structure “container + of + content,” it is the container (bouteille) that is countable, and “vin” itself is not normally counted directly as a quantity. In other words, in this structure, the quantity is measured by the container rather than by the wine itself.
However, when referring to types or varieties of wine, the noun can be treated as countable depending on the context (e.g., deux vins rouges — “two red wines”).
Related Expressions
- une bouteille de vin
（a bottle of wine） - un verre de vin
（a glass of wine） - une tasse de café
（a cup of coffee） - un bol de soupe
（a bowl of soup）
2. Expressing Your Taste Preferences
If you are not familiar with wine, I recommend asking the staff for a recommendation rather than choosing on your own.
By describing your taste preferences, you allow the sommelier or server to suggest a suitable option.
Example
- Auriez-vous quelque chose de pas trop tannique ?
（Do you have something that is not too tannic?）
The structure “quelque chose de + adjective” means “something that is …” and can be adapted easily.
Related Expressions
- quelque chose de fruité
（something fruity） - quelque chose d’assez léger
（something fairly light） - quelque chose de pas trop sec
（something not too dry）
3. Confirming the Serving Temperature
Because wine aroma and flavor change depending on temperature, you may want to confirm how it will be served.
Example
- Est-ce qu’il est servi frais ou à température ambiante ?
（Is it served chilled or at room temperature?）
The word “frais” means “chilled,” while “température ambiante” literally means “room temperature.”
Example
- Légèrement frais, pour mieux révéler les arômes.
（Slightly chilled, to better reveal the aromas.）
The structure “pour + infinitive” means “in order to …”.
The word “mieux” is the comparative form of the adverb “bien” (well), meaning “better”.
Be careful not to confuse it with the adjective “bon” (good):
Points
- bon → meilleur (better, adjective)
- bien → mieux (better, adverb)
Summary
今回のフランス語フレーズ
- Nous aimerions commander une bouteille de vin.
→ Used when ordering wine politely. - Auriez-vous quelque chose de ～ ?
→ Used when asking for recommendations based on taste preferences. - Est-ce qu’il est servi frais ou à température ambiante ?
→ Used when confirming serving temperature.
