Perusing the Reserve List

Some restaurants have what they call a Reserve List. This might be wines that are higher-priced, special wines, wines that they store or handle differently, wines that are poured in bigger or better glasses, or simply better wines. Some people always order off the Reserve List; others never do. I tend to look to the Reserve List in special situations: when it's "Half Off Night," when there is a steal on there, or on special occasions.

Not all wines on the Reserve List are created (or priced) equally, however. There are some that everybody recognizes, some that a smaller group recognizes and some that only a few will recognize. Let's consider each of them.

Unless the restaurant is featuring a particular wine, you tend to get your worst pricing on the wines that everybody knows although that is not always the case. While I rarely call out names, I am going to illustrate with a few.

Where I live, there are two Cabernets that seem to be on every restaurant's Reserve List currently -- Silver Oak and Caymus. Let's get this straight -- they both make very good wines. I own bottles of wine from each label. If you see something with the Silver Oak label, it is Cabernet (the Duncans produce other wines under the Twomey label) and if you see something with the Caymus label, it is highly likely that it is Cabernet (the Wagners also produce small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel under the Caymus label and many other wines under Conundrum, Belle Glos, and Mer Soleil). 

The problem here is that everybody recognizes those wines and restaurants can move them, almost without regard to how they price them, so they price them relatively higher as compared to their own costs (of course, this is not always the case, but it is usually the case in my personal experience). 

Then there are the wines that I would say many people, but not most people, recognize. A few example here could be wines like various Penfold's offerings (perhaps Bin 707), Domaine Serene, Kosta Browne, Catena. Failry knowledgeable wineaux will appreciate that these are very good wines. Depending on the restaurant, though, and what their clientele is like, they might be able to move these wines fairly well. If they can, the pricing will be okay, but not great.

Then, there are the sleepers. The great wines from the more obscure wine areas and their best vintages can be priced really well. This is where I try to look. Margaret River instead of Barossa Valley or Maclaren Vale. Santa Ynez instead of Napa or Sonoma. Central Otago instead of Willammette Valley.

Understand that this does not mean that I don't like wines from the areas that I am eschewing here. I own them. I often love them. But restaurant pricing on them is often bad while on the others, it is often much better. Said differently, why spend 2X on something great when I can get something just as great for just 1X?

But, it's your money and your palate, so you do as you please. And, I will do as I wish.