Restaurant Wine, Issue 65 (May/June 1998)

"Wine at the Bar" Issue

Special Report: Wine sales at the bar are booming--and are likely to continue selling well for years to come. Here are several reasons why, and five simple means of keeping your bar sales soaring in the years ahead...

Interview with a Bartender: We speak with one bartender who is very sensitive and responsive to his wine-drinking guests...

Profile: Some restaurants develop a wine program that goes too far too quickly for its guests. Here is a profile of one of them--and what the wine manager did to help bring his customers up to speed (without sacrificing the caliber of his wine program)...

Wine Reviews: Mumm Cuvee Napa's Blanc de Blancs is one of the country's best bubblies...Foris and Morgan both turned out top '96 Pinot Noirs...One of the best inexpensive reds now available is Hacienda's Lot 7 blend...Australia boasts some of the best Grenache-based wines in the world, at bargain prices...Undurraga now makes one of Chile's best Sauvignon Blancs...Great Chateauneuf-du-Pape is still available, despite rumors to the contrary...Domdechant Werner is rising to the top of Germany's Rheingau estate wineries...Greece's Muscat of Patras is an excellent, inexpensive dessert wine...Italian Sangiovese has never been better: Tuscany has never enjoyed so many outstanding consecutive vintages (1993 through 1997 are all excellent, or better). Wines to try include Terrabianca's '95 La Fonte and Fonterutoli's '95 Brancaia.