Wine lists are shrinking as restaurants offer more beer and cocktail choices(2)
"By the end of the year, we should have Pennsylvania's largest tequila selection," Mr. Lutchansky said. "We want that to be an educational experience for people who are interested in learning more about the spirits of Mexico."
Closer interactions between the bar and kitchen staff have also helped fuel the synergy between food and drink programs. At Yo Rita on the South Side, diners are as likely to choose beer or a cocktail as they are wine to complement one of the fusion tacos. Chef Adam Manculich and owner Jacqueline White collaborate on the cocktail menu, and Mr. Manculich, "an avid craft beer drinker," selects most of the beers. Many of the cocktail mixers and syrups are made in the kitchen.
High-end cocktails aren't exactly a bargain, but unlike wine, the labor of making the drink is typically visible and tangible to the drinker. Today's trendy cocktails typically include several liquors, as well as house-made mixers, infusions and garnishes. They're pretty and distinctive, not just another glass of red or white wine poured from a bottle.
All this begs this question, should wine lovers just BYOB or stay home? Not at all. Wine lists may be smaller, and they may be taking a temporary backseat to beer and liquor, but that doesn't mean that restaurants have abandoned wine.
In an August blog post on www.BonAppetit.com, wine writer and sommelier David Lynch examined the trend toward small wine lists and concluded that they were good for restaurants and consumers. A small list had to be "curated," he wrote, and so "the result reads like a menu rather than a list, which is the whole point."
That is the motivation behind short but interesting wine lists at restaurants such as Salt of the Earth, Dinette and Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar.
Even at Verde Mexican Kitchen, those hundreds of tequilas and bottles of beer will be augmented by eight wines -- four white and four red. "We want to keep it short, so we can train our people to really get into the wines that are on our list and make intelligent recommendations to people who come in," Mr. Lutchansky said.
For another fine example of this trend in wine lists, take Legume Bistro. Newly re-opened in Oakland after five years as a BYOB restaurant in Regent Square, Legume has more seats, a bigger kitchen and a liquor license. Its drink options include a dozen draft beers and a cocktail program, but the owners also hired a sommelier, a clear sign they take their wine program seriously.
Caroline Matys received a degree in environmental science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006, but after interning at a winery, she realized that she had other goals. Last December she received her sommelier certification from the French Culinary Institute.
She's designed Legume's list to be food-friendly, offer good value and balance new world and old world options. It's a clear and informative list, divided into light, medium and full-bodied wines with vintage dates and varietals clearly marked.
The list of bottles fits neatly onto a page, ensuring that selections can be made quickly and the evening will be spent drinking, eating and enjoying good company, rather than reading. I, for one, will drink to that.
