Restaurant Wine, Issue 71 (May/June 1999)

"Becoming A Wine Destination Restaurant" Issue

Profile: Over a period of years, this oriental restaurant transformed itself from a quiet, "traditional" restaurant (serving a handful of standard wines) to a fine dining establishment, with 150+ selections. How Marshall Chin did it, without missing a beat....

What's Special About...? Everything you ever wanted to know about Chianti Classico, from what it tastes like, best producers, current vintage assessment, and a zone-by-zone breakdown...

Merchandising: Something as simple and straightforward as a menu insert for wine specials could have a major impact on wine sales. See how this restaurant did just that...

Wine Reviews: Barone Ricasoli is making some of Italy's best red wines (pg. 14, 16)...San Fabiano Calcinaia is an outstanding Sangiovese producer (pg. 15, 16)...Sangiovese-Merlot blends in Tuscany are generally more successful than Sangiovese-Cabernet blends, as Fonterutoli's '96 Siepi, Cennatoio's '95 Mammolo, and Barbi's '95 Brigante demonstrate (pg. 16)...Simi's '97 Chardonnay is one of its finest to date (pg. 17)...Pepi Winery has debuted a new series of Italian varietals, including Tocai and Barbera, which are excellent (pg. 18, 21)...Carmenet's '97 Dynamite Cabernet truly lives up to its name (pg. 18)...The '97 Echelon Merlot is a top value (pg. 20)...One of the best Pinot Noir values now available is Foris' '97, from Oregon (pg. 20)...Everett Ridge's first releases are impressive, paricularly the Old Vines Zinfandel (pg 20)...Oxford Landing's latest releases are back at the forefront of Australia's "value varietals" (pg. 21, 22)...Los Vascos' '97 Cabernet is one of its best yet (pg. 23)...Any wine named "Fat Bastard" is sure to grab one's attention (pg. 23)...Kim Crawford's '98 Sauvignon Blancs are terrific (pg. 23).