I can’t believe I just started engaging in this group. It’s the best!
We were skiing in Les Deux Alpes and found a slope side restaurant with the most insane wine list. And the best part? The prices were beyond reasonable.
As we were enjoying this spot, I was thinking about what makes a wine list truly great.
Variety. In this case we’re in France so it’s a French list, but there’s a good variety of regions and grapes represented. They’re heavy on Burgundy and the Rhône as they should be, those are the closest major regions, but had plenty of cool Savoyard producers too. Size of the list doesn’t necessarily indicate greatness, small and big lists can be great.
Small producers. Sure we have some big names like Guigal and Château Margaux but most of the list is small, artisan winemakers.
Some older wines. Look I’m not expecting a restaurant to have crazy back vintages, but damn it warms my heart to see stuff that is older than the current release. Great wines benefit so much even from just an extra year or two!
Realistic pricing. Don’t mark up more than the industry standard. Don’t be a dick just cause it’s rare or you’re in a good location.
Most importantly, a human behind it all! Ugo, the owner of this place is obviously a knowledgable wine professional, with the allocations to match. A restaurant without someone who cares and knows what they’re doing is not going to ever have a great list. This can be the somm, but I feel like there is an enthusiastic owner behind every great list. Someone’s gotta sign off on the bills!
What else do you think makes a great wine list?
If you like snow and wine, go to Les Deux Alpes, stay at the Chalet Mounier, and eat lunch exclusively on the terrace at Diable Au Coeur.
by WineDineCaroline
4 Comments
GUIBERTEAUUUU!!!!
Totally agree on access to older stuff. It’s hard to do, but getting less expensive older stuff can be really fun for people to try in restaurants.
So I’m in Ontario, Canada, where we have a government monopoly (LCBO). But I think this heuristic works for anyone living anywhere with a government monopoly:
A lazy wine list is one where all the bottles are pulled from the LCBO, a good wine list has unique bottles where the bar or restaurant worked with a broker to get lesser-known bottles in.
You see, the way things work here is – You can buy wholesale from the government, where they give you retail – 10%, or you can work with a broker or agent and get bottles not available at the LCBO.
The best restaurants I’ve been to in Toronto tend to have a 30-70 split, where 30% of the list comes direct from LCBO, while 70% of the list comes from a broker and isn’t available at LCBO.
LCBO has all the “big names” right? if you want the world famous bottles, you will be pulling from LCBO. These are the heavy hitters, comprising of the most expensive bottles of your list. Bottles like Tiganello, Krug, the cru classe Bordeaux, etc.
But for the more “generic” bottles, if you pull from LCBO, it just seems very unimaginative and your customers can easily see the markup. Work with a good broker who can get you good bottles that aren’t available at LCBO.
Unfortunately, wine lists are often an afterthought here in Toronto, even mid-high end restaurants often have very crappy wine lists. Like, one of my favorite steakhouses just pulls from LCBO, and my favorite sushi spot also just pulls from LCBO.
Ganevat and Guiberteau?! Damn. The owner truly knows and cares. How was the Ganevat?