Best Wine Lists 2003

[Craig Camp]

Please place here your nominations for eGullets most loved restaurant wine lists of the year. It is not enough to just say who. It is important to say WHY!

A wine list is great because of its appropriateness for the cuisine -- not because of its size.

Will there be a number one? Give me a break - do we look like the Wine Spectator?

[GordonCooks]

Save the immense lists of the Restaurant Daniel’s and Charlie Trotter’s of the restaurant world –

My pics

Veritas (New York, NY)- something for everyone (including a large selection of half-bottles for me). Although Tim Kopec may no get the recognition of some of the bigger names in the biz - I consider him the ideal sommelier.

The Wild Boar (Nashville, TN)– A NY Sized wine list with small market pricing. GM Brett Allen can satisfy the needs of the neophyte to the Oenophile.

Blue Ginger (Wellesley, MA)– What makes the list great is it’s one of the most Asian-food friendly lists I’ve ever seen.

Babbo and Otto (NY) for their All Italian lists

MR Citronelle (Washington DC)– I worship Mark Slater

Edited to add cities

Edited October 24, 2003 by GordonCooks (log)

[Varmint]

Not only because this restaurant is in my town, but also because it has brought a fresh approach to wine service, I nominate Enoteca Vin in Raleigh. Although the breadth of the list is not extraordinary, all wines have been very intelligently selected. Moreover, the pricing is not substantially different than the selections' respective retail prices. They're able to do this because the co-owner, Chrish Peel, also is the owner of Carolina Wine Company, which boasts the largest temperature-controlled wine warehouse in the United States.

The thing that makes Vin so extraordinary to me, however, is their "by the glass" offerings. Tastes come in three sizes: 1.5, 3, and 5 ounces. Thus, if you want to sample a superb burgundy, you can do so affordably.

[Mark Sommelier]

I am not worthy.

My favorite list in the world is at Taillevent in Paris. The huge quarto sized menu lists menu items on the outside, the winelist covers the entire inside of the fold. The wines are listed not by price, but by vintage. Any winelist that starts with 1811 or 1871 has my respect.

[Schneier]

Blue Ginger (Wellesley, MA)– What makes the list great is it’s one of the most Asian-food friendly lists I’ve ever seen.

Slanted Door (San Francisco) also has a great Asian-friendly wine list.

[marcus]

The restaurant of the Grand Monarche hotel in Chartres, last visited Dec 2001. Extraordinarily well priced in all categories, they have the most complete and comprehensive selection of Loire wines. Even more interesting is their vertical of La Chapelle, I've twice had the 1978 there for about $70 when it was selling at NY auctions for $500, no longer available, however, I did have the 1989 in the $60 range. Also no longer available is the 1982 Cheval Blanc for under $300. Still on the wine list was 1989 La Mission Haut Brion for under $200. All prices include tax and service.

[melkor]

By far the best wine list in California is at the Martini House in St Helena. Extremely well organized, great selection, reasonable prices, and they have an 88 d'yquem by the glass

[Carolyn Tillie]

and they have an 88 d'yquem by the glass 

That's it! I am so there! Right in my backyard all this time, and I hardly knew...

[KatieLoeb]

Blue Ginger (Wellesley, MA)– What makes the list great is it’s one of the most Asian-food friendly lists I’ve ever seen.

Slanted Door (San Francisco) also has a great Asian-friendly wine list.

YES! I heartily agree with this statement. One of the highlights of my meal at Slanted Door was the incredibly interesting wine list, the staff that was well trained in pairing the by the glass selections and the opportunity to try some really interesting German, Alsatian and Austrian wines that were absolutely perfect with the food.

Here in Philadelphia I'd nominate Panorama Wine Bar at the Penn's View Inn, which boasts a 120 bottle cruvinet with selections that are ALL available by the glass. Interesting flights are put together on a separate wine menu and many are quite affordable. They also do the 3 oz. and 5 oz. pours so you can sample some things you normally wouldn't have the opportunity to.

[Florida Jim]

Castagna, Portland, Oregon.

A very small list (and a relatively small place) that is so well chosen I read each entry with greater and greater excitement. No super-famous wines, no absurd prices, just authentically good wines from all over the world.

Becco, NYC

Wonderful Italian food at reasonable prices and not a single wine that did not compliment the food. Also, not one over $20. Bravo.

Slanted Door, SF, CA

The freshest food I've found and wines that match. Whoever chose the list understands both wine and the cuisine of the house.

[LOS]

Please place here your nominations for eGullets most loved restaurant wine lists of the year

By this criterion, my choice is clear. About 15 km from Chablis, there's a little town called Nitry. Not only is Nitry on the autoroute, but it actually has an exit (quite an accomplishment for a town its size), and this is the exit you take when driving from your hotel in Beaune for a day trip up to Chablis. In the little town of Nitry there is a country restaurant called, IIRC, La Boursadiere. La Boursadiere can be difficult to find -- even with directions -- and serves country food, well-prepared but of no great inspiration. It has a wine list that is filled with Bourgogne Irancy, Sauvignon de St-Bris, and no-name Chablis and Petite Chablis. There are precious few bottles of Chablis premier cru and no grands crus at all. However, there is always the latest bottling of the Raveneau "Forets", at half the US retail price. That and that alone is enough to make this my most loved wine list.

Same time, next year.

Lee

[Jason Perlow]

Otto, NYC.

reason? It represents every region of italy and its an all-italian wine list. Many of the wines are very affordable. Also offers quartinos of wine which is really cool.

http://ottopizzeria.com/vino.html

[docsconz]

My two favorite wine lists (I know them reasonably well) in my locale of northeastern NY are Friends Lake Inn (It is very extensive, reasonably priced and comes with an excellent sommelier) and Chez Sophie Bistro which has an excellent all French list. what is notable about that is that they have gone off the beaten track and found all sorts of wonderful bottles from across France at generally reasonable and food friendly prices. They also go out of their way to have matches for their food.