Blimey I've opened a can of worms here. I only asked what the point of tasting a little bit of wine in a restaurant was before before they fill the glass.

Reading through all of the posts, I think that the 'general' concensus is that if you select a bottle of wine and there's nothing wrong with it, then you're stuck with it. But if there's anything wrong with it, then it's fine to send it back. I agree with both tese statements.

However, I still don't see the point in the waiter pouring just a little bit into the glass first. They may as well fill the glass up and if it's ok (which it usually is) then fine, if there's something wrong with it then pour it down the sink. The only difference is whether they need to pour a full glass or a little bit away.

I have a suspicion that the tasting excercise is just a pointless ritual that people enjoy doing. I think I'll carry on as I always have and just get them to fill up the glass.