Wine lists on vacation
PAID CONTENT
Mary and I just returned from a very quick but wonderful get away for four days to some place warm and sunny. The weather felt great and we enjoyed a relaxing time away. As most of us do while on vacation, we dined out most of the time. It is always interesting to see the trends in food happening while away and I find it informative and educational to peruse wine lists while out, not only for what wine is available but also the effort that goes into constructing a really great list.
Not unlike our own community here in North Idaho, there are always good examples and not so good ones about how to construct a list. The resort we stayed in is an example of a not so good list. I guess not completely surprising, as the place is huge! I can’t imagine trying to service these many guests, so a generalist approach to their list is understandable.
The restaurants we dined at, though, were a completely different story. Nearly universally, the lists were well thought out. They covered every wine base, not only from a varietal standpoint but also encompassing fully the appellations of the world. The even more surprising part is the restaurants and their ownership team did so not only on the bottle list but also by the glass. It is not too often you can sit down for lunch and find a list that includes Vouvray, Sancerre and a lovely dry rose by the glass to go along with the more expected choices of domestic Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
In reds it was completely the norm to find multiple choices in Pinot Noir and a Grenache by the glass to accompany a nice selection of the more predictable Cabernet, Merlot and several style driven red blends. Again, just like the whites when there were multiple choices wines that were chosen from both new world and old-world producers, spanning continents and hemispheres.
And this was before we got to the bottle lists, where some predictable names resided but also some lesser known producers and varietals from producers that we did not even know they made. For a wine geek it was great fun, and just a bit disappointing.
The disappointing part is that nearly all of the choices that I found so intriguing are indeed available here in North Idaho. Our great local distributors do a tremendous job of including all of these selections both varietal and appellation and we taste them regularly. Put simply, this is part of our job: Taste all you can, every chance you get, as that is how you find not only really delicious wine but also the less common.
Are there restaurants here in North Idaho that work hard on their lists to assemble a truly unique mix, the kind of lists that brings diners back more than once? There are, a handful. Sadly, though, they are the exception. There are too many more that simply either hand their list over to one distributor or assemble a predictable list that they then leave the same for years.
We have learned over 10 years of living and dining here, as well as running a wine shop that most folks want to be exposed to and try a wide assortment of wines. The lion’s share of us grow weary of seeing the same old names on list after list. It remains shocking to me that you can go into an Italian restaurant only to find no Italian names on the list. The shock only deepens since I know of at least three different local distributors whose portfolios are focused on European and more specifically Italian names. There are too many examples of this to name, all as frustrating as the next.
As wine professionals it is our job to seek out a wide array of wines. It is incumbent on us to put together an assortment that covers all of the varietals and all of the great wine regions of the world. It is not hard to keep a bottle or two of the most obscure productions on the shelf or in our cellar. There is no rule here at home that requires us to buy things by the case. In fact, just the opposite is true Idaho liquor law accommodates these single bottle purchases.
Consumers have a role as well. Challenge your favorite places to freshen up their lists. When all that is available is the same old names, encourage them to taste with all of our local distributors, and I do mean all. If they still appear not able to find what you are looking for and can’t provide the assortment you would like to see, tell them to give me a call. I will point them in the right direction. Heck, I might even invite them to taste with me for a week, that should open their eyes.
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.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and gift shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. George is also published in several other publications around the country. After working in wineries in California and judging many wine competitions, he moved to Coeur d’Alene with Mary more than 10 years ago to open the shop. You can also follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.