The Perfect Wine List

“The perfect hot fudge Sundae is this and only this.” said a creative, opinionated friend of mine long ago.  She proceeded to list the criteria: sensibly-flavored ice cream, very dark hot fudge, only salted nuts, no damn whipped cream, two cherries, and a cup big enough to accommodate melting and mixing.  I was amused at how much thought had gone into her declaration.  I was impressed by her conviction.  An avid consumer of ice cream and a literary critic, she applied rules to her passion and doled out free advice on the subject.

I intertwine passion and profession constantly as I dine out, my sommelier and business-owner selves in tow.  Unabashedly opinionated is how I must honestly characterize myself after 35 years in the wine and restaurant  biz.   And while I’ll refrain from saying ‘this and only this,’ I do have some very firm convictions when it comes to restaurant wine lists.

1).  The perfect wine list never underestimates the importance of wine in a restaurant of any style. If you are proud of your food, you need a respectable wine list to accompany it.  (If you’re not proud of your food, what are you doing?).

2). The perfect wine list is written by a human being (!!), one who loves and knows wine well, who understands your goals, who has experience with purchasing, and who can stand up to distributors trying to sell them plonk.

3).  The perfect wine list, whether two pages or two volumes, is supported by an informed staff.  One hour a week can exponentially increase understanding, engagement, and sales. The server guides guests over the the threshold and into the wine culture of your place.

4).   The perfect wine list avoids the big brands. Guests will gravitate to them like lemmings to a cliff, and you won’t sell much else.  Boring.

5).  The perfect wine list reflects the theme of the cuisine or the energy of your place.  Decide if you want your wine list to be thematic.  Only Italian?  Strictly organic?  Just New World?  It should be an extension of the food menu and the restaurant’s mission.  If the cuisine is authentic Italian, why not have a wine list that is equally purist?  If your menu is eclectic or seasonal, you may want wines from all over the world that echo those many-faceted flavors -  mindfully tasted and chosen, of course.

6).  The perfect wine list is priced with a triangle in mind.  Offer a lot of reasonably priced wine as your base, include a broad but slightly smaller selection of somewhat more expensive wines, and top it off with baller bottles that thrill.   Price-conscious diners outnumber sky’s-the-limit diners and a great list acknowledges that.

7).  The perfect wine list is categorized.  If you include a few natural wines on your list, identify them clearly.  If you have a thematic, all-natural wine list, be sure to include a few traditional wines and identify them.  It’s easy to find lovely wines grown organically and vinified responsibly that aren’t so-called ‘natural wine.’  You won’t have to compromise your mission and you’ll garner a wider clientele.

8).  The perfect wine list is fairly priced and doesn’t smack of greed. If you mark up your wine too high, you won’t sell very much.  No fun, and, what’s the point?

9).  The perfect wine list is inviting, not intimidating.

10).  The perfect wine list shows guests that the proprietors and managers understand what great things wine brings to a restaurant: connection, culture, and cohesion.  Wine has been with us for more than 6,000 years - don’t banish her now.

Take it from a girl who named her company Wine Matters. Wine matters! Tight, interesting cocktail list but half-assed wine list?  Sloppy.  Creative food but generic wines?  Contradictory and incomplete.  No intriguing wine under $100?  Snobby and mean.  Same bottles as the place down the street?  Trite.  Guests are noticing even when they are not commenting.

I’m a consultant giving away free advice.  Why?  Because I want to enjoy great wine wherever I go, and I want my fellow Bostonians - and visitors! - to do the same.  I‘d like to see wine accessible to more people, and I believe hospitality professionals are uniquely poised to bring more friends and guests into the wine-loving fold.

I want to see hardworking wine families all over the world rewarded for their commitment to making wholesome wine.  I’d like to see commodity wines diminish if not disappear entirely.

I want everyone smacking their lips and smiling over a great glass of wine.  Wine is culture, wine is history, wine is farming at its best, wine is the connective tissue of cuisine and diners and service.  Wine is varied and infinite.  Wine matters!

Deborah Hansen is a Sommelier who trained in Spain.  Her consulting company Wine Matters specializes in Spanish wine and dispelling the many myths surrounding it.  She trains professional staff to feel comfortable discussing and selling  wine of all types, however.  She can create a wine list or fine tune an existing one.  She orchestrates private tastings and select parties, often with wine from her deep cellar of old Spanish wine.  As a chef, she creates unique dinner parties, precisely pairing her dishes with these rare wines. Teacher, trainer, writer, advocate, traveler, blogger, drinker, connecter, speaker, and lover of wine.