Local Wine Service and List

Ok....alot of serious beer drinkers on the forum....but I'm a wine lover and colletor. Who has the best service, wine list, and best bargions? I'm surprised at the lack of wine discussion and the local food forum.

[Robin Garr]

Ok....alot of serious beer drinkers on the forum....but I'm a wine lover and colletor. Who has the best service, wine list, and best bargions? I'm surprised at the lack of wine discussion and the local food forum.

Wine talk comes and goes, Mark, and of course a lot of the forum's wine geeks participate in my WineLovers Discussion group just on the other side of the curtain, which brings in wine lovers from all over the world to talk about the fruit of the vine.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/index.php

In any case, I think L&N Wine Bar clearly has to take the prize for selection, pricing and staff acumen, with a nod to the Downtown Bristol in particular for the presence of wine geek Scott Harper as manager and wine guy. Corbett's is really good, too (along with Equus), and I like the wine selections pretty well at Seviche and Napa River Grill, just to name a couple that pop into my head. I kind of liked the wine list but not the markup at Varanese. Volare has a good Italian list, and Porcini has some great stuff at the high end, although I generally try to keep my table wine under $40 or $50 most of the time when we eat out. Should add 610 Magnolia for a variety of good bottles, much of it high-end; ditto the Seelbach's Oakroom.

What are some of your favorites, Mark? Let's make this topic grow and challenge the beer geeks. Wait, I'm a beer geek too ...

Agreed on L & N

Best of luck to Scott on his masters candidacy. It would be a huge accomplishment. I'm keeping an eye out in hopes he gets it.

Cellaring definately goes to Corbett's. Varanese just added a wine cabinet to offer reds at cellar temperature. Very cool. I'm unsure if they followed through with the discussions we had regarding storing the whites (oaked chards furthest from the cooler fan, and closest to the door opening.)

I do browse the wine forum from time to time.

Believe it or not I've yet to make it to the L&N Wine Bar. It just never comes to mind when we are contemplating going out. We will make it over there through the holidays.

Places that I like. I think Seviche has a great list with lot's of mid-priced options and good options by-the-glass. I love Zins and petite syrahs and the like, and those types of wine go real well with latin food.

610 Magnolia has been a staple for us in the past (like almost 20 years)...I have not seen their list in a number of years but have had a number of wonderful high-end burgundies there in the past.

I like the list at Corbett's but found the wine service a bit stuffy...I don't know. We had dinner there Thursday night and it was an odd experience. Food was top notch in every way however. I really did like the stemware BTW.

Le Relais has always been a favorite. Historically they have had a fairly extensive list with obvious props to Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhone wines.

I think The Patron has a nice list that goes real well with their food. Quality that's not too hard on the wallet.

My first great restaurant wine experience was at Casa Grisanti....time flies.

Does anyone in town openly allow wine to be brought in with an appropriate corkage fee?

I ate at L&N for the first time last Friday night, and I have to say, it was excellent. I started with their bloody mary (I know, it kills the palate, but I love bloody marys), which was great and spicy enough (though sometimes I make it spicier), then moved on to glasses of the Chateau Davril, Bordeaux, France 2005 with my meal (the house salad and a fantastic sirloin special that's not on the menu -- if they're still serving it, I highly recommend it!). My girlfriend had the Laurel Glen “Terra Rosa”, Mendoza, Argentina 2004, I believe, along with the escargot appetizer (with country ham and infused bourbon butter) and the tuna entree. My parents had the bison strip, but I can't remember what they drank. Anyway, we had an excellent meal. Everything tasted wonderful, the service was personable and attentive, and I can't think of a single thing that wasn't perfect.

Their web site has the summer menu (along with scrolling text about the patio being open, lol), but the current menu has a number of the same items.

[Robin Garr]

Does anyone in town openly allow wine to be brought in with an appropriate corkage fee?

State law forbids it, and Le Gallo Rosso got in trouble for allowing it openly.

That said, if you're a regular at a local spot, have a discreet talk with the owner or manager. Some places are okay with people they know bringing in a bottle or two, but it has to be confidential because of potential license issues. I'm sorry, but if I knew of any places currently doing it, I wouldn't post it in the forum. (And before anybody PMs me, I don't know for sure of anyone doing it now ... I try not to ask, given my position, so I don't force people to be in the position of saying "no" to the guy who might review their eatery.

Theoretically, if there was a restaurant out there that allowed a patron to bring in wine, what would be an appropriate corkage fee? Take into mind that the restaurant is in the business to make money and wine is a good profit center. And during this economic time any sale lost is pretty hard. I am not saying at all, to anyone out there, that the Westport General Store is in the practice of allowing out side Alcohol to be brought in to the premises. As a matter of fact, I have had to ask patrons to please not bring in road or river drinks as they enter the place. That always amazed me- who would think to bring in a togo cup of gin and tonic to a restaurant? Anyway, I am curious to know what an appropriate fee would be, realizing the risk for the restaurant.

[Robin Garr]

Will, it varies a lot depending on local custom and the pomposity of the restaurant, but 10 to 15 percent of the bottle's value is typical. Note also that it is very bad form (where BYO is allowed) to bring in a wine that's on the list, or cheap, mass-market crap. The only legitimate reason for BYO - among wine geeks at least - is to be able to enjoy fine, aged wines from your cellar that would not be available on the list.

You should also tip as if you had bought the wine at its retail price.

Theoretically, if there was a restaurant out there that allowed a patron to bring in wine, what would be an appropriate corkage fee? Take into mind that the restaurant is in the business to make money and wine is a good profit center. And during this economic time any sale lost is pretty hard. I am not saying at all, to anyone out there, that the Westport General Store is in the practice of allowing out side Alcohol to be brought in to the premises. As a matter of fact, I have had to ask patrons to please not bring in road or river drinks as they enter the place. That always amazed me- who would think to bring in a togo cup of gin and tonic to a restaurant? Anyway, I am curious to know what an appropriate fee would be, realizing the risk for the restaurant.

The only legitimate reason for BYO - among wine geeks at least - is to be able to enjoy fine, aged wines from your cellar that would not be available on the list.

In places I've lived where BYO is legal, it was more about having it available in restaurants that don't have/can't serve wine, more than anything else.

[Robin Garr]

In places I've lived where BYO is legal, it was more about having it available in restaurants that don't have/can't serve wine, more than anything else.

Good point, Joel! I was thinking more along the high-end, wine geek situation, bringing cellared wines in to places with a list.

Frankly, most places with no license in states that allow BYO (AS KENTUCKY SHOULD!) don't charge corkage but allow it as a service that encourages business.

Will, it varies a lot depending on local custom and the pomposity of the restaurant, but 10 to 15 percent of the bottle's value is typical.

Thanks. Is that the value retail or the value at a restaurant? I am also interested in what the board thinks is fair to have a bottle of theirs opened at a restaurant.

Will,

Years ago their was a great little Bistro in downtown Lagrange ( Bistro 501 comes to mind-but that may not be accurate). They of course did not have a liquor license, but when asked , I was told I could BYOB. They had a small corkage fee ( $5) which I thought was fair, but that was also on my $10-12 bottle of wine. I looked at it as still less expensive than if I had paid regular restaurant price for my bottle. I can't address what would be reasonable for expensive wines...

Deb

Thanks Deb.
I remember that place. That was of course before alcohol sales were allowed in Oldham County. Now we have a license that we pay a pretty good price for and rely on sales of wine to help us make a buck and keep our doors open. I have had patrons ask if we allow them to bring in wine and I have always followed the letter of the law and said no I explain that it is against the law and it is also a way for us to make a living.

As a consumer I would love to be able to bring in my own bottle. I remember eating dinner at the Melrose before I could legally drink and seeing a gentleman and his wife consume an entire bottle of bourbon, that they brought in, with their meal. Those were the days.

I think 211 Clover Lane has to be included. Andrew seems to be at the top of his game in knowledge. Look for a expansion of the restaurant and a retail wine shop.

In places I've lived where BYO is legal, it was more about having it available in restaurants that don't have/can't serve wine, more than anything else.

Good point, Joel! I was thinking more along the high-end, wine geek situation, bringing cellared wines in to places with a list.

Frankly, most places with no license in states that allow BYO (AS KENTUCKY SHOULD!) don't charge corkage but allow it as a service that encourages business.

I wasn't aware it was illegal for establishments that had a licience to provide corkage (is it a tax thing?). Too bad. I hate subjecting an '85 Mondovi Reserve or the like to my home cooking (which is pretty good). I've had an arrangement with a couple of places and I was well aware of being appropriate in terms of what we asked exception for....not the legal side of it. Often I've shared a glass with the owner or chef and they seemed to be all smiles in addition to the proper gratuities. Yeah we are wine geeks and fit into that catagory. We've only ever asked for corkage for well aged expensive wines and I've only asked when I was sure we could be accomodated. Given my understanding of the legalities...we won't be asking this favor again. We'll bring a cook into the house.