Thursday, September 17, 2015

Best ATL Wine Lists!

Here is a list of some of ATL's best wine lists, per Atlanta Eater (Click HERE). I haven't been to many of the new ones but I have long been a fan of Aria. If you are able (and can book well in advance) the wine cellar is a unique experience (e.g. you can dine in the cellar!). Only 4 people fit and it's a lovely/romantic affair. I highly recommend it (and the food is divine!).

One trend I haven't fully embraced is the use of iPads for wine lists. Bones is a pretty simple wine list (voluminous, but well laid out) and makes it easy to find a bottle from their large list but I was recently in Charleston SC and was frustrated HOW LONG it took to find a wine using their little iPad. Yes, it was split between varietals and/or countries; yes, it was helpful to see a photo of the actual bottle for 'recognition' but overall, trying to toggle back and forth took way too long and really took the fun out of ordering a wine. Ah but when I did make the choice, that lovely Keenan Merlot was stunning!

Final vent--another recent restaurant experience was lackluster due to the fact that their wines were VERY overpriced and also very YOUNG (e.g. all 2012). I wish they had a bit more depth to their list (e.g. some age would be nice). Sigh... can't always get what you want, eh? Note to restaurants: Variety is great; simplicity in the list is great; overpriced? Not so much. If you didn't try to make up so much of your expenses on the wines, you may actually see more business, but that's just me...

Cheers!