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Wining

Ian Johnson, The Trusted Palate

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

Bartender Jason Hamm selects wines out of the Social Wine Bar wine cellar on East Bay Street.

In 2008, there is no shortage of exceptional restaurants in the Charleston area with significant wine lists. Over the past 10 years, we have seen these lists improve exponentially. There is a hardworking and educated group of wine professionals that simply did not exist when I landed here in 1997.

I don't like the points system of rating wines and I do not care for bulleted lists that are "best of" in style. This way of rating or ranking is very impersonal and, in my opinion, simply does not serve the public very well. There are so many factors that go into creating a complete wine program that the public never gets to see. I have chosen three that I believe deserve special attention for their content, qualifications and an overall unpretentious philosophy.

Muse Restaurant and Wine Bar

82 Society St., downtown

577-1102

www.charlestonmuse.com

$$-$$$$

Beth Anne Crane, owner of Muse, had a vision for a restaurant that focused on European food and wine, as well as promoting a European dining experience. It is always a pleasure to see someone succeed at what she set out to do.

There are between 89 and 100 wines offered "by the glass," so it's hard not to please everyone. The wine list has about 550 wines, the majority of which are Italian and French. Muse has found that with the European exchange rate at such a disadvantage, it is getting harder to promote some European wines simply because of price.

As a result, there has been an increase in New World wines (not European) on the list. This attention to the business of wine helps Muse provide wines of value to the consumer.

When asked to describe her wine program, Crane talks about how accessible her list is to the consumer, as well as how well the staff engages customers in wine talk. The restaurant is very open to trying different things and does everything it can to eliminate the "snob" factor of wine. The ability for the restaurant to make the process of choosing wine enjoyable and stress-free is something Muse takes pride in.

Crane grew up in the restaurant business and holds a graduate degree in Italian studies. Those two factors cannot be ignored when wondering how Muse has become such a wonderful little restaurant with a great wine program.

Charleston Grill at Charleston Place

224 King St., downtown

577-4522

www.charlestongrill.com

$$$$-$$$$$

Charleston Grill has a large wine program, with somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 wines on the list. Now, a list this size can be overwhelming to many people and often reads like a book. Not the case here. I have designed and laid out a fair share of lists in my day but nothing quite as beautiful and organized as the list at Charleston Grill.

Compared to Social and Muse, the "by the glass" list is relatively small with around 30 wines. But even this list offers a broad selection of styles that should make most patrons happy.

I often hear people comment that Champagne and restaurants like Charleston Grill should be enjoyed on special occasions. Let's face it, Champagne should be enjoyed as often as can be afforded and so should the list at Charleston Grill. The staff has been highly trained since the arrival of sommelier Rick Rubel and his very capable assistant, Sara Kavanaugh. Rick has passed all but the last part of the Master Sommelier program and Sara is preparing for the third level of this difficult exam. This is a team that is hard to beat.

The list is divided into three sections. There is a contents page, a "short list" and the larger list. The "short list" is great for customers who would prefer to look through a couple of pages of thoughtfully picked wines. For those who are excited about exploring a fun wine collection, the larger list has a significant portion of the world's great wines. There is a Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982 (Bordeaux, France) and a Chateau Musar 1972 (Lebanon). Now I know that for much of the public, these wines don't have any meaning. But for those of us in the wine trade, they are exciting and rare.

It is an important list that doesn't act important. The organization is so thorough that even a novice can be led through the world of wine simply by browsing. There also are progressive headers here, such as "Chardonnistic," that lead customers to a particular style they are likely to enjoy. The size, organization and accessibility of the list, as well as the qualifications of the staff, make this the top large list in Charleston.

Social Wine Bar and Restaurant

188 East Bay St., downtown

577-5665

www.socialwinebar.com

$$-$$$

Social Wine Bar and Restaurant has a list of about 450 wines that are kept in a beautiful, temperature-controlled cellar that is the focal point of the bar and dining area. The cellar has a capacity of about 4,000 bottles. Here, you will find a broad selection of wines from all of the classic growing regions in the world with an emphasis on small European, estate-driven producers.

There are around 50 wines offered in 2.5-ounce and 5-ounce pours on the "by the glass" list. It is progressive in nature, with many lighthearted descriptive headers, such as "High-Octane Cali Style," that lead the guests in a nonintimidating manner. The smaller pours also encourage experimentation as does the perennial wine flight. This is an aggressive wine program aimed at engaging the consumer.

Brad Ball, who owns Social, is the talent behind the list. He is pursuing Diploma WSET, the highest level of achievement in the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, the most widely used certification program for the wine and spirits industry in the world. He also is seeking a wine industry MBA out of Bordeaux, France. His education allows him to taste professionally and pick wines for the list that truly have merit. It is the best way to guarantee quality to the consumer.

Perhaps the most significant thing Brad has learned over the past few years was from Olivier Zardon, who was the sommelier at Aquavit in New York City. When they would taste together, the emphasis was always on the balance of the wines. This experience taught Brad to analyze wines as a professional.

He is most excited about his list of wines from Wauchau in Austria, as well as a very good collection of red burgundies. In the future he hopes to add older vintages of classic wines. Social has a well-thought-out wine list with an obvious lack of the "easy" brands you will find on many wine lists.