Comments on: Help Steve Cuozzo navigate a wine list

By: Lael Tozzi

Lael Tozzi — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:19:43 +0000

Great blog! Sorry to get off subject, but since Nashville is getting a lot of press lately, I’d like to find a great sushi restaurant or Japanese restaurant in Nashville TN. Have you heard of any good ones? There’s a new one called Nomzilla Sushi Et Cetera, but I’ve only seen a few reviews. Here’s the address of this new Nashville Sushi Restaurant , 1201 Villa Place, Suite 101 Nashville, TN 37212 – (615) 268-1424. Thoughts? Thanks!

By: WINE & DINE COLUMN: What Do You Expect From a Wine List? | News & Insight for the DC Area Executive

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:34:02 +0000

[...] also gets pummeled pretty harshly in the Dr. Vino blog, where author Tyler Colman criticizes him for being unwilling to learn about new wines. (Cuozzo [...]

By: Carl

Carl — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:22:08 +0000

@anon somm
Your response to the original article is almost as offensive as the article itself. First off, you work in the hospitality industry and hospitality is not something that you’re putting off. Further, I agree with your point about wanting to support small farmers (I do too) but often times those wines are picked up/shipped/distributed by ENORMOUS companies that piss on the wines they sell. The Reynard list is not something to be in awe of. It’s one person’s work. And that work was respecting the ingredients she was working with. And as far as your little personal journey. No one cares about you and your opinions, you are writing a blog response and a somewhat boring one at that. Why don’t you go back and delve into that little realm of pineau d’aunis and cot. The most important thing you can do in your profession (the same as mine) is be hospitable and humble, LISTEN to your guests and offer them good advice. Although my list probably shares some 30 selections with Reynards, everynight I try to train my staff to focus their energy on guests happiness, not be so self-satisfied with my profession and how **GREAT** I am for having what I consider to be good taste in SOMEONE ELSE’S life’s work.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:44:03 +0000

There are far too many great wines being produced from all over the world at various price points to be disappointed in any list. It is the vision of who ever does the buying to create a list that offers a broad selection of varieties/$/styles as long as there the staff is trained to relate certain lesser known selections’ style to more mainstream grapes i.e. pinot grigio, chardonnay, sauv.blanc, cab sauv, syrah and zinfandel. If you don’t know, you better ask somebody, that’s why certain restaurants have polished reputations and others are gimmicks. Service is quintessential regardless of how good the food is, and wine knowledge is encompassed in the subject of service. So please have a conversation, mention specifically your desired price point, and be prepared to have a memorable experience. It is the intention of any staff to give the people what they want regardless, so speak to them and let them guide you to what you’re gastronomic epiphany. Any do yourself a favor, please stop reading the new york post for restaurant reviews. This article is evidence that Mr. Cuozzo possesses sheltered tastes and seems content to live the rest of his life without discovering new experiences.
Brian, Philadelphia

By: Don

Don — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:27:36 +0000

I like to find unique “unknowns” on wine lists; however the “unknowns” usually offer a great value to the consumer. Too bad many restaurants mark these “unknowns” up 5 times their cost. Do your customers a favor. Sell more wine = lower your mark-ups. We will all win!!
Don in Beantown

By: Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Cheapskate Wednesday, Wasps, Wine Lists And More « Talk-A-Vino

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:03:17 +0000

[...] you remember Dr. Vino’s blog post about NY Post restaurant critic’s problem with the wine lists (they are too esoteric to his [...]

By: Doug Schulman

Doug Schulman — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:23:24 +0000

Thanks for the opportunity to comment on Steve’s article since I don’t seem to be able to on its own site. I am very surprised and disappointed that a wine writer would submit such a piece. Almost all Greek wines at a Greek restaurant? Great! As others have said, is he also upset when he doesn’t recognize some offering of food on a menu? I relish the idea to learn about a new food or wine, and if they go together, all the better. I understand the point, but I think he takes it way too far, to the point of seeming absurd when coming from someone who writes about wine. Insulting people who put together thoughtful lists of wines that pair fantastically with the cuisine of the restaurant is really low. Catering to the lowest common denominator is a problem in so many areas, let’s not say it *should* also happen with wine.

By: ROGER ANDELORA

ROGER ANDELORA — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 05:13:09 +0000

THE PROBLEM HERE IS THAT POST READERS DON’T DRINK ANYTHING BUT RIPPLE PAGEN PINK OR MAD DOG.

By: Jaume Murua

Jaume Murua — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 07:58:19 +0000

It happens many times, in that case I prefer to ask for advice to the waiter. They usually know better, if they don’t know what to say then I go for price. I never take the cheapest but one among the 5 wines with lower price. This way I don’t feel like a fool by my lack of knowledge. BTW nice magazine!!

By: Felipe Méndez

Felipe Méndez — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 22:59:58 +0000

I think Cuozzo makes some fair points in his column. What I cannot believe is that those points comes from a wine critic. That’s astonishing. He sounds like the less curious wine critic ever.

By: Unmitigated Gaul

Unmitigated Gaul — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:09:11 +0000

Yes, it does indeed seem as if CIVB has more to spend that the Greek Wine promotional body…
Where is Steve Raye when you need him!

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:53:11 +0000

Dave – Thanks for the link to the Reynards wine list. I think it looks like so much fun that I’d have trouble deciding just one wine to order.

Incidentally, Pete Wells reviews Reynards in the Times tomorrow. He doesn’t seem particularly bothered by the wine selection, calling it a deep “cellar of offbeat and affordable French wines,” adding that “indie French wines” preceded “weird and cool dessert wines.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/dining/reviews/reynard-in-williamsburg-brooklyn-restaurant-review.html

I see Ryan Sutton at Bloomberg liked it too, calling it “lovely.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-25/reynards-brings-mezzo-hotel-dining-to-brooklyn-review.html

It’ll be interesting to see if the list is a good fit with the diners. I bet it will be.

By: CPC

CPC — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:53:57 +0000

Left to their own devices, how many teenage kids would read and come to love Tolstoy? Not many. Thankfully, there are professors, whom we pay to challenge us. Does Tolstoy suck? To a 19 year old kid who just tucked into his or her first chapter? Probably.

Should we then leave Tolstoy to the elite, and celebrate instead books that speak to our laziest intellectual sensibilities? Of course not.

Sommeliers should turn people onto new wines, when the wines are good and they work with the food. A wine list should be personal to the restaurant, and present value and excitement to the guest.

A vocal minority of quality restaurants take their wine lists as seriously as their food. When a guest reserves a table at such a place, they had probably come prepared to (potentially) try something new. When they’re not in the mood to be challenged? They should go to the remaining 99.5% of restaurants in whatever city they reside, where on any given day, they may enjoy a warm glass of Acacia Pinot Noir with their ahi tuna tartare. Plain and simple.

To whine about the lack of domestic/conventional wine (blah, blah – this got boring in Ellenbogen’s Slanted Door days) or what have you on a serious, mid-size list is entirely tantamount to throwing a tantrum when there’s no burger on the menu… or to the kid who thinks Tolstoy sucks.

Your article sucks, Mr. Cuozzo.

And who the hell says “wine wonk”?

Best,

CPC

By: Obi Wine Kenobi

Obi Wine Kenobi — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:36:01 +0000

Oh yeah! And who is still surprised with absurd restaurant markups on wine? Such an old rant, but very few folks doing anything about it. On that note, I’d rather pay that 42 sheckles for the rhone syrah, than for something ridiculous like Meridian pinot noir.

By: Obi Wine Kenobi

Obi Wine Kenobi — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:30:55 +0000

My master once instructed me about the dark forces of the NY Post. He also once said: “Drink gamay you must, for the beauty of wine in aromas and lightness it is.”