Fun with wine lists

As wine professionals, we get to try a lot of great new wine every week. But even with regular visits to the shop from distributors, importers and winemakers, there are still more wines we have yet to try. Jonathan Oberlander from J. Scott Winery had a great way of breaking down all the wine that is out there. He said, "There are three kinds of wine; those I like, those I don't like and those I have not tried yet." Well said Jonathan, we have adopted that mantra.

This is why restaurant wine lists are so fun for us, and can be for all wine consumers. When we go out to eat, especially at new restaurants or those we don't go to as often, I spend a fair amount of time going through the list. The names you see everywhere I skim over, then the fun begins, as I start to search for two categories.

The first are wines from producers I don't know, but that are making wine from regions or varietals I enjoy. Nothing is more exciting than finding a little known producer that is creating wine from an area we love. Whether it is the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, the Rhone or Corbierres regions of France, or the diverse appellations of Northern Italy, there are almost always gems to discover on a restaurant list.

The other categories we seek out on lists are the older vintages of wines we know and love and the stragglers that are left behind. In just the last couple of weeks we have found two bottles at restaurants that fit this group.

When out to dinner in Spokane, we were looking through the far reaches of a fairly large list. The restaurant had changed hands and we have heard they are going through some changes with their wine buying. To accommodate the new wines they want to bring in, they had put some older bottles on the list at compelling prices to lighten up on inventory. We found a 2008 Skylark Lawer Vineyard Syrah. As regular readers know, Skylark is Mary's brother's winery and Syrah is the red varietal he is best at. We ordered the wine, and it was great. When John first made the wine, we found it to be a bit oaky for our taste, but could see the potential in this blockbuster Syrah.

When the cork was pulled and the wine poured, WOW! The youthful awkwardness the wine showed with overly prominent oak had completely integrated. The wine was powerful and elegant. Supple tannins and toasty flavors had replaced the rough edges in the ensuing years, and the wine was a stunner. Fun on the wine list accomplished by revisiting an "old friend."

Just last week, we were again out to dinner with friends, and really craving a Rhone blend or even another blend of Rhone varietals from somewhere else in Europe. The region we focused on was sold out on the list. We asked the staff what else they might have that was similar to the bottles we had asked about that were no longer available. Two choices showed up at the table that were not on the list, as they were down to only one bottle each. We chose 2011 Corbierres Rouge from Kermit Lynch Imports. We like the blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignane, and 2011 was a very good year for most of France.

The bottle was opened and the wine poured and again, beautiful! The wine was supple and rich, showed vibrant fruit and was framed by great structure. Fun on the wine list again accomplished by finding a single bottle that was no longer listed.

For wine consumers these are two quick lessons. After you move beyond the familiar names that are around at many places, go deep into the list. Start looking for older vintages from years you know were good: 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the western U.S., 2010 and 2011 from Europe, and see what you might find hanging around.

Lesson No. 2: ask the wine professional or staff what they have that might not be on the list. Give your server as much information as possible about varietals and regions you enjoy and see if they might have some bottles they either have not yet added or ones they have removed, as they are down to the last bottle or two.

Really delving into restaurant wine lists is one of my favorite pastimes, and it can be so for all who appreciate wine. The end result may be even better when you find something unexpected that will highlight your meal!

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop decor shop by Costco in Coeur d'Alene. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.