Restaurant Wines for $23, at Grill 23

Any idea what the usual mark-up is for a bottle of wine in a restaurant?

It varies, mostly depending on what end of the price range you're talking about. But the general rule of thumb is two to three times what the restaurant paid for it.

In other words, if the restaurant paid $10 for the bottle, they will list it for $20 to $30.

Maybe that seems like a pretty steep price to pay for the privilege of someone else popping open your favorite bottle of $15 Cab for you.

Time for some relief.

Grill 23 & Bar in the Back Bay offers a special list of wines that cost just $23. The list is always changing, and it's only available Sunday and Monday evenings.

But here's an example of some of the bottles (and some of the deals) on offer:

2007 Anne Amie Riesling from Oregon
Retail price: about $17
Typical restaurant range: $30-35
Grill 23 price: $23

Then there's the 2006 Domaine Contat-Grange Pinot Noir, which you'd be hard-pressed to find for $23 at retail, much less on a restaurant wine list.

Then there's the 2007 Giacomo Ascheri Barbera d'Alba from Piedmont, which you might find on a restaurant list for the low to mid-thirties. Grill 23 price: $23.

You get the idea.

Go on a Sunday or Monday night, and you'll get the deal too.


WHAT: The $23 List
WHERE: Grill 23 & Bar, 161 Berkeley Street, Boston
WHEN: Sunday and Monday evenings
Check out the full list here.


DAILY TIDBIT:

Wine, the most delightful of drinks, whether we owe it to Noah,
who planted the vine, or to Bacchus, who pressed juice from the
grape, goes back to the childhood of the world.

-- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste

Your Whisky Profile, Identified, in Salem and Reading

Are you a single malt or a double malt kind of person?

Are you whisky or scotch?

Scotland or Japan?

"Er..."

If that was your answer to any of the above questions, then you are in luck.

Busa Wine & Spirits locations all over greater Boston are hosting "Master of Whisky" tastings each of the next three Saturdays. The idea is for a whisky pro to guide you to the selection that best suits your palate.

You go. He asks you questions. You answer. He suggests. You taste.

Repeat.

Until you've got your whisky palate nailed.


WHAT: Scotch & Whisky Tasting
WHERE: Busa Wine & Spirits, 21 Traders Way, Salem
WHEN: Saturday, January 9 from 2 to 5 p.m.
OTHER TASTINGS: January 16 at Burlington store and January 30 at Reading store

DAILY TIDBIT:
Single malt whisky is malt whisky made from a single distillery. Blended whisky -- referred to generally as Scotch whisky or Irish whisky -- are made from different distilleries.

Drinks for When You're Intolerant, at Om

It isn't that anyone actually wants to have celiac disease.

(That's when you must avoid gluten, a protein found in foods containing wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats.)

It's just that eating -- and drinking -- gluten-free turns out to be a fairly healthy thing to do.

In fact, gluten is climbing right up there with dairy and nuts when it comes to allergies that restaurants are asked to accommodate in order to suit their customers' dietary needs and requests.

Take Om, a restaurant and lounge in Cambridge that serves an American-Asian fusion menu.

They've gotten the request for gluten-free items so frequently that they now offer a special à la carte menu (including entrées and desserts) just for the gluten-intolerant.

But what about when it comes to what to drink?

Wine is, of course, an option since it's made from grapes rather than grain. About 10% of Om's wine list is also organic.

While beer isn't an option (it's made from grains), you could explore the cocktail menu for distilled alcohols, which are gluten-free. Om, for example, uses organic gin and vodka.

It's a good place to start, whether you're gluten-free by necessity or by choice.


WHAT: Special Menu Items for Gluten-Intolerant Diners
WHERE: Om Restaurant and Lounge, 92 Winthrop Street, Cambridge
WHEN: Now.
MENU: Check it out.

DAILY TIDBIT:
Although some foods that are common allergens -- such as milk, eggs and fish -- are used as fining and clarifying agents in the winemaking process, industry research indicates that finished wines do not contain these allergens in quantities that would cause severe reactions.

New Year's Resolutions from Red White Boston

The thing about New Year's resolutions is that they are just so... hot and cold.

They're here today. Then they're gone tomorrow.

One minute they're destined to succeed. The next, they're doomed to fail.

At Red White Boston we have our own resolutions, and we've followed all the best advice to make them stick.

The two most important pieces of advice?

Make it fun. (We're talking about wine every day, folks.)

And make it public, which makes it accountable.

On that note, here we go...


RESOLUTION: Build more partnerships to strengthen our offering to you.
ADVICE IT'S FOLLOWING: Buddy up.
HOW YOU'LL SEE IT: Teaming with like-minded partners means you'll see more chances for winning a contest or free tickets or accessing special discounts. Partnerships we're exploring include other social and community organizations around town; more wine shops; and more of Boston's best restaurants, bars and lounges.

RESOLUTION: Include one tidbit of information in our emails each day that's meant to make wine more fun, more interesting, and more enjoyable overall.
ADVICE IT'S FOLLOWING: Break the goal down into small, manageable steps.
HOW YOU'LL SEE IT: At the bottom of each Red White Boston email. Through tweets too.

RESOLUTION: Plan Red White Boston events throughout the year so that readers can follow a systematic program of tastings, socializing, and learning.
ADVICE IT'S FOLLOWING: Visualize the end result, that is, to help our readers Drink Better.
HOW YOU'LL SEE IT: At our monthly events we'll vary the theme, grape or region, starting with a tasting of wines from New Zealand on Friday, January 22. Save the date!


DAILY TIDBIT:
Two of the most fun and easy-to-use online wine tools we know is the Personal Taste Profile (to find out which wines are right for you) and the online tasting journal available by subscribing to My Bottlenotes (it's free) at Bottlenotes.com. Check it out!

Wish Lists for 2010, from Boston Wine Shop Owners

If you listen to Boston wine shop owners' wish lists for 2010, you'll start to sense that the year to come will be an even stronger year for the consumer than the year that's just passed.

Owners will be focusing on the elements that enhance consumers' wine experience, like education, value, and experimentation. Throw in some advice on building private collections and a focus on "real wine," and you've got one stupendous year on tap for wine lovers in Boston.

Cheers to you!


WHO: Kerri Platt, Owner
WINE SHOP: The Wine Bottega, 341 Hanover Street, Boston
WHAT SHE HOPES FOR 2010: We'll find new ways to present wines to people, and we'll develop more interesting forms of education. We need to find more ways to engage people, because you can't just do the same things you've always been doing.

WHO: David Gordon, Vice President
WINE SHOP: Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors, 894 Main Street, Waltham
WHAT HE HOPES FOR 2010: I think people will continue to see better selection and better access to cool and nichey products. If you're ever going to start to collect wine, now is the time. I'd like to see a younger demongraphic start to build up cellars, so they'll have something to go to when they want to pop that perfect bottle.

WHO: Howie Rubin, Owner
WINE SHOP: Bauer Wine & Spirits, 330 Newbury Street, Boston
WHAT HE HOPES FOR 2010: I think people will continue to experiment with their wines. They'll look for more real wine, produced by families rather than corporations. They'll also continue to get more value for their dollar, especially when they see that you can get a great Carmenère from Chile for the same price you can get most supermarket wines.

WHO: Tom Prince, Owner
WINE SHOP: Panzano Provvisto et Vino and Tomasso Trattoria, 154 Turnpike Road, Southborough
WHAT HE HOPES FOR 2010: We're planning to focus more energy on education. In the past we focused more on tastings for people who knew what the wines were, but this year we'll focus more on basic education, particularly on Italian wines. We're developing a coherent curriculum that will continue throughout the year.

WHO: Lisa Miller Ryan, Owner
WINE SHOP: Brookline Liquor Mart, 1354 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
WHAT SHE HOPES FOR 2010: We want to continue to educate younger consumers. We'll hold onto the more eclectic wines of the BLM inventory but we'll also reevaluate to make the inventory more value-oriented in general.

WHO: Klaudia Mally, Owner
WINE SHOP: BRIX Wine Shops, 1284 Washington Street and 105 Broad Street, Boston
WHAT SHE HOPES FOR 2010: That customers will take advantage of educational opportunities like free tastings and classes that are also available.

WHO: Len Rothenberg, Owner
WINE SHOP: Federal Wine & Spirits, 29 State Street, Boston
WHAT HE HOPES FOR 2010: He hopes to see the decline and fall of the Euro so that he can go to France and Peter can sell Italy.

Wine Shop Owners Speak Out on 2009 Trends

A little perspective never hurt anyone.

Which is why we've asked around -- to wine shop owners and the professionals who work there -- to tell us which trends were most outstanding and meaningful to them in 2009.

You may be surprised by their answers. (We were.)

We also asked them about their wishes for 2010, that is, what they'd love to happen in the coming months when it comes to wine in Boston. Keep an eye out for those, in your Inbox tomorrow.

What both of these mini-polls amount to is a snapshot of wine in Boston. It's what we try to do every day. But today and tomorrow, we're doing it with a little more perspective.


WHO: Kerri Platt, Owner
WINE SHOP: The Wine Bottega, 341 Hanover Street, Boston
WHAT SHE NOTICED IN 2009: People are looking for the stories behind the wines, and they're looking for more educational opportunities. Wine is part of the movement to eat local and organic foods -- even if the wine isn't local, it can still be small-production, real wine. Looking for value at all price points actually makes for a better wine experience.

WHO: Howie Rubin, Owner
WINE SHOP: Bauer Wine & Spirits, 330 Newbury Street, Boston
WHAT HE NOTICED IN 2009: 2009 was the year of the consumer. People were shopping smart, sticking to their budget, and wanting good-quality, real wines for their dollar. Throughout the year we also saw the erosion of higher-end wines. Wine has become more of a lifestyle than something to put on a pedestal.

WHO: Klaudia Mally, Owner
WINE SHOP: BRIX Wine Shop, 1284 Washington Street and 105 Broad Street, Boston
WHAT SHE NOTICED IN 2009: It was a year for experimentation and for building relationships. People are getting back to the basics and taking the time to know and trust their local merchant. Maybe we'll exercise their palates and introduce them to a new grape or an unfamiliar region, but they see our enthusiasm for the wine and they're open to trying new things.

WHO: Tom Prince, Owner
WINE SHOP: Panzano Provvisto et Vino and Tomasso Trattoria, 154 Turnpike Road, Southborough
WHAT HE NOTICED IN 2009: People seem to be more comfortable with unusual varietals and unique locations, and more people looking for everyday bargains that they can drink casually. The make-up of inventory on our shelves is totally different than it was a year ago. Today you'd be hard-pressed to find wines over $20, whereas a year ago you were hard-pressed to find wines under $20.

WHO: Len Rothenberg, Owner
WINE SHOP: Federal Wine & Spirits, 29 State Street, Boston
COMMENTS: He hopes he's seen the bottom of the economic wine barrel.

WHO: Lisa Miller Ryan, Owner
WINE SHOP: Brookline Liquor Mart, 1354 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
WHAT SHE NOTICED IN 2009: Liquor stores in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts held their own in 2009. The new government regulations -- including the 6.25% tax on alcohol and rulings on shipping -- were helpful in some cases (within the boundaries of the Commonwealth, for example) but harmful in others.

WHO: David Gordon, Vice President
WINE SHOP: Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors, 894 Main Street, Waltham
WHAT HE NOTICED IN 2009: It was a great year for value as well as for having better access to higher-end products. You saw great deals out there for really good product, plus the nichey, high-end stuff has jumped down in price point. It's become more accessible. 2009 was a reality check for a lot of brands that have been charging a lot of money for perceived value.