The Wine List Game

Some people wish they could shuffle a deck like a Las Vegas card shark. Others, more sedate, dream of riffling through a restaurant wine list and plucking the jewels--the wine version of marking all the aces.

In both cases, it takes skill and practice. As for me, I’ll happily sit down to a game of wine card stud with anyone. Sure, it helps to know something about wine. But anyone can put the wine list odds in his or her favor by keeping in mind a few truths about wine lists.

Truth No. 1: Look at the wine glasses. This is the wine-list version of a story a friend of mine likes to tell about how, just before a blind tasting, he inadvertently got a peek at the label. “Sometimes I can tell a wine just by listening to it,” he declared. With that, he held the wine glass to his ear, looked sage, then promptly named the wine and vintage.

In restaurants, you can do pretty much the same thing simply by looking at the quality of the wine glasses. A restaurant that really cares about its wine glasses is sure to care about its wines.

Most restaurants, even the priciest, have lousy glasses. They have all sorts of excuses (cost, breakage, thievery), but mostly it’s penny-pinching. Still, a growing number use wine-enhancing glasses. The Austrian firm Riedel makes the best such glasses, but they are pricey. Now, though, Riedel’s designs are being knocked off, with the result that more restaurants are using less expensive yet well-designed wine glasses.

Truth No. 2: The odds favor the house. That’s not news, but it’s worth noting all the same. Most restaurants price their wines between two and three times their wholesale cost. So if a wine wholesales for $10 a bottle, it probably will be on the list at $25 to $30. Restaurant wine consultant Joshua Wesson perfectly characterized this pricing formula as, “You sweat, but you don’t cry out.”

So the first thing to do is find a wine you’re familiar with. You know the retail price. Check the restaurant’s price. If it’s twice or more your retail cost, you’re in for it. Take the measure of the house before proceeding.

Truth No. 3: Expensive wines are marked up less than cheaper ones. Although they’re loath to admit it, even restaurateurs know their wine mark-ups are near scandalous. After all, many of the wines on the list are fresher than the fish on the menu. So the notion that you’re paying for cellaring is mostly nonsense. Exceptions exist, of course, but not many.

When restaurants purchase expensive new wines, the idea of jacking up the price two or three times puts already stratospheric prices right into orbit. And they will never sell. The result: Certain expensive wines that are on the list for reasons of prestige or personal acquaintance with the winegrower can be priced at a modest premium over retail.

There are exceptions, however: Typically the “brand-name” big-ticket wines like Dom Perignon Champagne, Opus One, first-growth Bordeaux like Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and some others are sure to have buyers, as their names are recognizable to the expense account crowd. Look instead for rarities from Burgundy, the Rho^ne Valley or Piedmont or for California connoisseur wines like unusual Zinfandel bottlings from Ridge Vineyards.

Truth No. 4: The more estate- or domaine-bottled wines, the better the list. Broadly speaking, wines come in two sorts: Those made by shippers and those made by growers. A shipper offers a big line of wines, all under the shipper’s name. A grower offers only those wines he or she personally makes. It’s the difference between picking flowers one at a time and scooping them up by the armful.

Look at the wine list, especially the Burgundy section. If you see multiple listings with the same producer’s name, then you’ve got a lazy list. Although shippers can make great wines (Louis Jadot in Burgundy, Trimbach in Alsace, Mondavi in California), the fact is that a wine list on which shippers dominate a category is a one-call-does-it-all list. Or, worse yet, it’s a list designed by a wholesaler. That happens more than you might imagine. The restaurateur can’t be bothered, and the wholesaler brings in a lot of business.

Truth No. 5: Look for a wide range of prices. Really good lists aren’t necessarily long. If anything, the best lists are concise, well-thought-out and demonstrate a willingness to accommodate all pocketbooks. If you spot grower-produced, moderately priced ($15 to $25) wines from a variety of regions, then you’ve got somebody who’s actively searching for good wines for his or her clients. That’s a good sign. And the researcher’s advice is worth taking.

Truth No. 6: Look for specificity. Beware of wine lists that just happen to leave off producer’s names and, especially, vintage dates. That’s another sure sign of a “wholesaler’s list.” It gets set in stone, as it were, with the latest vintage plugged in as needed.

Some of the best lists I’ve seen were written in pencil on a single sheet of paper. But they tell you everything important: producer, vintage, district, vineyard name and so forth. The more specific the list, the more someone obviously cares. A wine list that signals such specificity is on your side.

If you see, say, two Cabernets at the same price about which you know nothing, choose the one that offers more details about its origins, e.g. a Cabernet noted as coming from Stags Leap District rather than one that says simply Napa Valley. This isn’t a sure thing, but it usually tilts in your favor the odds of getting an especially good wine.

Truth No. 7: Beware of expensive old wines. Old vintages--which is to say any wine with 15 or more years on it--are part of the mystique of wine. Too often, age is equated with quality. Yet, if anything, the opposite is true. Old wines sell on image, rather than on any delivery of memory-making goods.

That’s why nearly all restaurants that have older vintages offer them to their clients on a “buyer-beware” basis. If you don’t like the wine, well, too bad; they won’t take it back. There’s a reason for this: The majority of older wines are shot. They’ve been stored in warehouses and pseudo-cellars that are far too warm, so the freshness and fruit of the wines fade quickly. Restaurateurs know this.

If an older vintage on a wine list calls to you, it’s no time to be deferential. Buying an old wine calls for the same vigilance and suspicion as buying a used car. Ask the restaurant manager--not the waiter--how long the restaurant has owned the wine. Does he or she know the provenance of the wine? If the answers are vague or unsure, pass. Remember, restaurants don’t give away old wines. You’re paying a steep premium, so it’s no time to be easygoing.

It is possible to find lovely older wines, especially at restaurants that have been in business a long time, with owners who are nuts about wine. Bordeaux, Rho^ne, Barolo and Ports are the best bets. Nearly all white wines are risky, unless the cellaring is perfect. Older German and Alsatian Rieslings are easily the best bets among white wines. Avoid older red or white Burgundies unless you have reason to be absolutely certain about the cellaring.

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The Wine List Game

Restaurant: Valentino

The Big Impression: Awe-inspiring, an enormous list that surely has one of world’s most extensive selections of Italian wines. It has an excellent California selection and the expected big-name Bordeaux. Blah Burgundies, though.

Pricing: Mixed. Some prices are outrageous; others are bargains. Still, a list this big always has deals. Ransack it for Barolos and Barbarescos from the ‘85, ’82 and ’78 vintages. Compared to the new soaring prices for the ‘89s and ‘90s from the same top producers, these older vintages are steals.

Benchmark wine price: 1988 Veuve Clicquot Champagne “La Grande Dame” ($140) (undiscounted wholesale cost to restaurant: $75).

Inside Track: Although the California list is lovely, you’d be crazy not to stick with Italian wines; the Italian selection is not just enormous but insightful. All sorts of Italian rarities abound. The Piedmont wine selection in particular is superb.

Personal Picks: 1982 Aldo Conterno Barolo “Vigna Cicala” ($110), 1988 Luigi Ferrando Carema “Black Label” ($35), 1982 Prunotto Barbaresco “Rabaja,” ($50) and, for a big group, the double-magnum (3 liters) of 1985 Luigi Righetti Recioto della Valpolicella Amarone ($150), served simply with chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Restaurant: Patina

The Big Impression: A big wine list loaded with very young wines from many of the world’s best-known producers. It lists few bargains but there are many opportunities for discriminating pleasure. It’s strongest on the most conventional categories: California Cabernet, Burgundy and Bordeaux. This list plays it safe, though, as nearly every producer is a recognized blue chip.

Pricing: Not bad for a pricey restaurant. What it lacks in buried treasures it makes up with rigorous selection. This is the place to try those high-end wines that are expensive even at retail. You’ll pay a premium, to be sure, but the odds of getting a good bottle are dramatically in your favor.

Benchmark Wine Price: 1988 Veuve Clicquot Champagne “La Grande Dame” ($127).

Inside Track: The palm has to go to the Burgundy selection, the category that is famously the most difficult to select, secure and sell at plausible prices. All the usual high-end and hard-to-get suspects are rounded up, both red and white. Ditto for the California Cabernets. The Bordeaux list, surprisingly, has some deals.

Personal Picks: 1990 Domaine Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet “Perrieres” ($118); 1995 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc ($26); 1993 Domaine Javillier Meursault “Clos du Cromin” ($59); 1988 Domaine Coche-Dury red Auxey-Duresses ($72); 1988 Domaine Leroy Savigny-les-Beaune “Les Narbantons” ($106) and, if reassured by the management about provenance, I’d take a chance on one of the several inexpensive ($40 to $60) red Bordeaux from the 1970 vintage.

Restaurant: Michael’s

The Big Impression: A hodgepodge list with no great strengths.

Pricing: On the high side, especially considering that the selection is not as rigorous or insightful as it could be.

Benchmark Wine Price: 1988 Veuve Clicquot Champagne “La Grande Dame” ($165).

Inside Track: Stick with the less expensive wines as, oddly, some of the more inspired choices are found among them.

Personal Picks: 1994 Louis Latour Montagny Premier Cru “La Grande Roche” ($25); 1995 Mormoraia Vernaccia di San Gimignano ($26); 1994 Spring Mountain Sauvignon Blanc ($23); 1991 Hanzell Cabernet Sauvignon ($35); 1994 Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet Franc ($34).

Restaurant: Campanile

The Big Impression: Here’s an adventurous list. Somebody really loves wine at Campanile and also loves the hunt for new, cutting-edge producers. One of the best collections of tasty esoterica I’ve seen in any restaurant.

Pricing: Generally very good. The list is strongly oriented to moderately priced wines. That alone tells you something, especially given the quality of the wines chosen.

Benchmark wine price: 1988 Veuve Clicquot Champagne “La Grande Dame” (not offered).

Inside Track: This is a list that leads to trust. Somebody’s on our side, trying to find modestly priced gems, especially from Europe. Not only is the list articulate about the details, but there’s an innovative idea of offering an 8-ounce “taster carafe” of many wines. There’s no single standout category, except that the list is strongly oriented to Europe, but not in the usual places. Exceptional Austrian and Italian wine selections.

Personal Picks: 1993 Hogl Riesling Smaragd “Ried Bruck Viessling” ($45); 1993 J.N. Luigi Co^teaux du Cap Corse “Clos Nicrosi” ($39); 1982 Joly Coulee de Serrant ($60); 1989 Girolamo Dorigo Tazzelenghe “Ronc di Juri” ($42); 1990 Forman Petit Verdot ($37); 1994 Hendry Zinfandel “Block 7” ($26).

Restaurant: Spago

The Big Impression: Plenty to choose from in this long, closely spaced wine list. All the bases get covered. Well-informed and truffled with unusual selections.

Pricing: On the high end but, as always with long lists, deals sneak in with enough frequency to keep you from bolting. The wines-by-the-glass selections are particularly good.

Benchmark wine price: 1988 Veuve Clicquot Champagne “La Grande Dame” ($158).

Inside Track: Interesting wines in every category. No single section stands out or reveals strong personality or individual passion. A good selection of Austrian wines, as well as some promising Italians. An aggressive, retailer-like highlighting of several featured wines accompanies the list.

Personal Picks: 1995 de Moor Sauvignon de St. Bris ($29); 1993 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay “Grosse Te^te” ($40); 1994 Navarro Gewurztraminer “Anderson Valley” ($22); 1993 Ridge Merlot “Santa Cruz Mountains” ($44); 1993 Domaine J.L. Chave Saint-Joseph ($43).