Gewurztraminer

[Innkeeper]

Quijote, any restaurant that's worth it's salt, yet still can't afford a wine steward, will put almost as much detail into their winelist as is printed on the bottle. Maybe they're hard to find in bratwurst town.

[Georgie]

Sorry, I failed to mention that this wine list did have some notes about many (not all) of the wines, but not all were sold by the glass. What I could read in the very dimly lit place was very general information, i.e. "crisp and refreshing" when referring to the SB. This is a fun local place called Beacon Street Bar and Grill patterned after the Bull and Finch (Cheers)Bar in Boston.

[This message has been edited by Georgie (edited 11-02-2003).]

[Innkeeper]

Pop's sells the 2002 Rosemount Traminer Riesling for $74.61 per case (http://www.popswine.com/).

[quijote]

IK, Milwaukee is still very much a beer burg, but things have been changing over the years. More and more restaurants seem to have realized that it makes good business sense--and profits--to help customers choose the right wines at a meal, and not merely go by price or some nebulous regard for one region over another. The changes don't always seem to happen quickly enough, however.

Georgie, I also find those generic descriptors to be quite unhelpful. Would a restaurant ever dare to describe an SB as "flat and unrefreshing"? It seems to me that notes should be fairly extensive, and should try to provide enough detail so the customer can make flavor matches. Every once in a while I even see menus that list recommended wines (sometimes with explanation) for certain dishes. Certainly better than rolling the dice, in any case.

[Thomas]

Beautifully put, quijote. In addition, it would be great if the restaurant that lets the staff taste the specials in order to describe the food also let the staff taste the wine that pairs with it. There is nothing better than a trained wait staff to make recommemdations that work.

[Georgie]

Well, another milestone in my wine experience reached today. I bought a full case of one kind of wine. I really liked the Rosemount Traminer Riesling and now I have quite a supply!