Two couples I know, who do not know each other, coincidentally confessed recently that they do not like cooking at home and prefer to dine out whenever possible. Or they buy prepared foods at a deli.
One of the people said, "I have better wine in my cellar than just about any restaurant around here. And my wine has been perfectly stored. And restaurants usually only carry wines that are too young to drink."
I was not surprised. I have been buying and collecting wine for roughly 50 years and I have far more mature wine than I ever drink. To go out to a restaurant and order something that (A) is too expensive, (B) was not well stored and (C) is usually mediocre makes no sense.
Besides, going out to a restaurant can be irritating. Most quality places require reservations; parking can be a hassle and the mere act of getting to the place can involve aggravating traffic. And then you have to put up with the whims of an egotistical chef (an oxymoron).
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I get frustrated when several things go wrong. Dining out should be enjoyable, not a chore.
I often log onto restaurant websites to find out what menus look like. It helps to determine the price. It can show how creative the kitchen can be and it can help me decide whether to dine there. Menus provide an idea of the style of food. But we have found that many restaurants do not give us the information we need.
As for wine, I have found that many restaurant lists are inaccurate. This makes dining out a chore. Updating the website is vital. But many sites get updated so infrequently that you might find references to mustache wax and high-button shoes.
Some years ago, at a chichi Beverly Hills trattoria that had won a major wine magazine's restaurant award, I ordered a Chianti. I was told the restaurant was out of it.
In succession, we ordered three more similar wines and learned that the place had none of them. A further check determined that the place's list had so many voids it appeared to have no relation whatever to even a decent list, let alone an award-winning one.
So much for the meaning of that restaurant award.
It gets worse when you actually visit the restaurant and look at the menu posted on the wall outside. This is a practice I heartily endorse since it gives diners an idea of what to order, which is important in places that specialize in foods from other lands.
At such places, the wine list is almost never posted. As a result, you are likely to find that the food is fairly priced, but the wine list skewers diners.
Years ago, I dined at a place where the food was fairly priced. The wine I wanted to go with it was a dry Riesling that sold in most retail shops for $15 and often was discounted to $12. The restaurant's price was $41. It was the least expensive white wine on the list. All the others were marked up at least as much.
Are you getting the idea I do not like dining out? Now take into consideration all the other unmentionables of wine in restaurants: improper storage, inadequate glassware, no decanters, bad temperatures at which the wines are served, unskilled waiters, poor quality vintages ...
Years ago, I learned that the best strategy is to call restaurants at slow periods (4 to 5 p.m. is usually good) and ask to speak to the person who deals with the wine list. Ask for details. Sometimes you'll learn something interesting.
But the cynic in me says that most often what you'll learn is that the person you are speaking with is hoping you will buy his or her most expensive wine.
True wine lovers often tell me that dining out can be an adventure.
To find out more about Sonoma County resident Dan Berger (winenut@gmail.com) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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Last Updated: Monday, Sep 28, 2026 06:26:04 -0700
