How to order wine at a restaurant without making a scene

Come in, look at the wine list, and wonder how to order wine at a restaurant without turning dinner into an exam. Good. At Tomkat, you don’t need to know vintages, appellations, or unpronounceable French names. You just need to tell us what you feel like drinking, what you’re thinking of eating, and whether you want to stick with a bottle or start with a glass.

We’re at Via Calderia 12, just steps from Piazza San Michele, and most tables make a very sensible choice: Tuscany. Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Sangiovese, Vermentino. This isn’t giving up on the rest of the list. It’s the right place to start when you’re in Lucca for two nights and want to drink well without making a performance of it.

How to order wine at a restaurant: start with a simple sentence

The most useful phrase isn’t “what do you recommend?” It’s too broad, and it tends to get an equally broad question in return. It’s better to give us two concrete pieces of information. For example: “We’d like a Tuscan red, not too heavy, to share with the food,” or “I’d like a glass of local white wine before dinner, then we’ll see.”

That’s how we work. We ask short questions, not conduct an interrogation. Do you want something fresh or more full-bodied? Are you ordering the sourdough focaccia to share, the pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce, or the slow-cooked beef roast? Do you want to stay within a particular price range? Saying so right away is helpful. Your budget isn’t an awkward detail: it’s part of the order.

If there are two of you, you can also say: “We’re looking for a Tuscan bottle with structure but nothing too demanding.” That’s a clear request. If one of you wants red and the other white, there’s no rule requiring you to share a bottle. Our wines by the glass change often for precisely this reason: they let you drink different things at the same table without complicating the evening.

Don’t order to impress the table

A list of almost 200 Italian and French labels can seem like a test of endurance. It isn’t. It’s a selection chosen bottle by bottle and updated every week. There are big names, older vintages, and hard-to-find bottles. There are also wines to drink simply because you’re hungry and you’re in Lucca.

Ordering Brunello because you feel like Brunello is an excellent reason. Ordering Vermentino because it’s your first night and you started with focaccia, Campanian tomatoes, Tuscan olive oil, and Maldon salt is just as sensible. You don’t have to choose the most expensive bottle or the one with the longest story. The right bottle is the one you’re happy to finish.

Sometimes we’ll suggest something simpler than what you had imagined. It isn’t calculated modesty. The slow-cooked beef roast, served with its jus, has intensity and depth: an energetic Tuscan red may be more interesting than a wine that’s too mature or too powerful. With the cheeses from the pantry, from Jura Comté to Tuscan pecorino, it depends on which cheese you choose and how long you want to linger at the table.

Bottle or glass: it depends on how you want to dine

A bottle is the natural choice when there are two or more of you and you have a shared idea. It doesn’t have to accompany every dish. It can begin with cured meats, move on to the ribs, and finish with the beef roast. If the table orders very different things, it’s better not to force a universal pairing just because “that’s how it’s done.”

A glass is useful when you want to explore or when you’re having a light meal. It may be the best choice for someone spending just one evening in Lucca who wants a Tuscan white and then a red without opening two bottles. It’s also useful for guests who return during the week and are looking for something different from last time. The wines by the glass aren’t a minor corner of the list: they change often to give you a concrete reason to sit down with us again.

If you want to try several things with some direction, there are guided tastings available to book from 20 euros. They aren’t a classroom lesson. They’re an organized way to taste, ask questions, and decide where you want to go next, perhaps toward a bottle for the table.

When to ask for Tuscany, and when to look beyond Tuscany

For many international guests, the answer is already written: we’re in Tuscany, so let’s drink Tuscany. We agree. Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino, and Bolgheri are often the most immediate choices, and the list also includes small Tuscan producers that are harder to encounter elsewhere.

But if you tell us you’ve already drunk a lot of Sangiovese during your trip, we can change course without losing the sense of the meal. A French white with Gillardeau oysters, a Burgundy bottle with a selection of cheeses, or something different if you’ve ordered 100% Ibérico de Bellota ham and want to linger at the bar or table.

France is as much a part of our identity as Italy. Burgundy, Champagne, and Bordeaux are a serious part of the cellar, not a decorative aside. The Bordeaux Experience includes château from the 1980s onward. You don’t have to choose an old vintage simply because it’s available. Mature bottles have character, but they also require the right moment, the right mood, and often a table willing to follow them. If you’re curious, tell us. If you just want a beautiful Tuscan bottle for dinner, that’s perfectly fine too.

The questions that really help the person serving you

Some questions are useful, while others risk bringing the conversation to a halt. “Which is the best?” has no serious answer, because best for whom, with which dish, and at what price? “Do you have something Tuscan in this style?” is an excellent place to start.

You can ask whether a wine is ready to drink, whether a bottle has more tension or more softness, or whether it’s worth moving up a price level from your first choice. You can also say without any problem: “We’d like to spend less than we expected.” It won’t spoil the atmosphere. It allows us to serve you better.

If you’re at the table with people who drink differently, don’t look for a sad compromise. One person can have a glass of white, another a Tuscan red, and anyone who wants to explore can choose from the French list. Wine should accompany the evening, not force everyone to agree.

In Lucca, a long list doesn’t require a long evening

Tomkat is open in the evening, Monday through Saturday, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. You can come for a full dinner, a bottle after a walk through the historic center, or a pantry spread of cured meats, cheeses, oysters, and caviar. You decide what shape the evening takes.

We received Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 and 2026, as well as Star Wine List awards for Best Newcomer 2025 and Best Medium-Sized Wine List 2026. These figures shouldn’t impress you at the table. They should tell you something more practical: the list is extensive, but someone has thought it through and knows it.

If you book for this week, arrive with a simple idea: a region, a dish, a budget, or simply the desire to drink a good glass of wine. We’ll take care of the rest together. And if you like the first bottle, don’t rush to look for something more complicated.

Pier Giulio Bendinelli