Bar staff who know clients' tipples deserve praise

Wine service in New Zealand is improving slowly and a text from a girlfriend confirmed it yet again.

"Ok, I'm impressed," it said. "Am at bonita and they remember what I drink."

She had been to this tiny bar on Ponsonby Rd twice before. They remembered not only that she drinks red wine and sometimes whisky, but also how she liked the whisky - straight, no ice, preferably single malt.

She was keen to impress a visiting Sydneysider and it had been a good move.

The name bonita means "good" in Spanish and it's appropriate for this intimate little winebar that opened early in 2005. It serves a 50-50 mix of Spanish and New Zealand wines with a few from Argentina and France.

Best of all, staff will open another bottle without argument if you think something is wrong with your wine.

Bonita is indicative that wine service here is improving, albeit slowly in most places.

There is a growing acknowledgment - especially in Auckland and Wellington - that customers might have a valid point when they complain that a wine does not taste as fresh or as clean as expected. Screwcaps have heightened the awareness and confidence of wine drinkers, alerting them to the fact that wine faults exist and can be spotted.

So what makes good service? It isn't trying to appear on the ball by refilling water glasses, or rushing around frantically. It's having the ability to tune in to customers so well that you can predict what they like, pour it for them, and know they will be surprised that you figured it out.