As America’s thirst for wine continues to grow, restaurants across the country are taking a close look at their wine programs such as profitable wines-by-the-glass lists. Maybe we should all do the same. In terms of selecting a wine that will give you a good return on your investment, a little knowledge goes a long way. Today I went to Vivo, a trendy restaurant in downtown Cleveland, for a light lunch. As soon as we sat down, a well-trained server asked for our drink order. Without waiting for a wine list, I quickly ordered a Pinot Grigio and my guest order a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, both by the glass.  In restaurants such as Vivo, I often order without looking at the list as most wine savvy establishments provide reasonably priced, unoaked whites for around $6 to $8 a glass - plus lunch is lunch, right? When the bill arrived, I discovered that we sipped $46 worth of wine in four simple glasses - at lunch! Shocked, I chatted it up with the server who politely told us that the pours are usually 5 glasses to a bottle and that it is always cheaper to order wine by the bottle. OK. I get that - but the Maso Canali (a Gallo wine which retails for $17.99) was listed on the menu for $42. Had we consumed 5 glasses instead of 4, our price would have been $65 for the same volume of wine. That’s a $23 smack on the hand for ordering by the glass instead of bottle. More than somewhat disgruntled, I could not help but wonder if this is happening all over town. So I stopped by Lola on the way back to my office to take a look at their list. Here, Michael Symon (Food Network star and celibrity chef) offers lovely white wines by the glass all between $6.75 - $8.50. So let’s compare: Lola’s Mudhouse Sauvignon Blanc ($14.99 retail) is offered by the glass for $6.25 at 5 glasses to the bottle the cost is $31.25 this same volume of wine by the bottle sells for $25 representing a mear $6.25 mark up on glass over bottle (remember, my wine at Vivo was marked up $23.) So the question is, how much are you willing to by for a glass of wine? George Schindler of Blue Pointe and Salmon Dave’s fame prides himself on the fact that he sells a 6oz glass at of wine at exactly 1/4th of the price as the bottle with no glass mark up at all. Good for you George. While many establishments justify the need to jack up the price of the wine by the glass to cover spoilage, I wonder if chefs will one day follow suit.  Could we soon be paying for an entire side of beef just to get a burger? Buyer beware.

Taveling in Florence and Tucany has taught me many things: you need advance reservations to see the real David, you need to wear a good pair of walking shoes, and you need a cold wine to take the edge off the Tuscan sun. When I think of the areas surrounding Tuscany, I think of yummy regional reds such as Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, yet the summer temperatures can be high and the days are long….me thinks I would rather order a white. And order I did. Refreshing Prosecco with low alcohol and lots of festive bubbles, Galestro with biting acidity and mineral notes and Vernacchia with a fantastic bitter edge. Sipping in Tuscany does not limit one to the wines of the region as plenty of sparklers from Lombardy such as Montenisa Saten Franciacorta pop up on menus all over town and are worth a taste. While no one can deny that robust reds such as Antinori’s Guado Al Tasso from Bolgheri DOC or Tigananello Toscana IGT are stellar wines worthy of their Super Tuscan status, I suggest everyone take a second look at Italian whites as summer settles in….my advice: don’t worry about ratings, don’t ponder labels, simply buy a bottle of white vino, chill it, drink it, and enjoy. Salute.

OK. So the Cavs are down by two and playing at the Q tonight. Streets are filling up with hopeful fans. From my office in the Caxton Building downtown, I can hear the noise and excitement build as I post this note. So, I just did what any natural wine geek would do - I went to my office cooler and pulled out a half bottle of rose from Domaines Ott. A true example of a rose from the the Cote de Provence, the wine is light in body and pale peachy orange in hue. Best of all, it is sold in these really cool 375ml bottles that are shaped like an old bottle from my grandmothers perfume collection. Honestly, it feels like an imported beer in your hand - so much so that I decided to leave the Schott Zwiesel tasting glass in the kitchen and sip this fashionable quaffer like a brew. Call it my personal tribute to the wine and gold. Rise Up Cavs!

From time to time, I am reminded why ordering wine in a restaurant by the glass is sometimes better than by the bottle. Last night was one of those times.  I met a few friends at Fire (Shaker Square on the eastside) for dinner and  - as usual - we looked at the wine list before the menu. Having decided on a bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon (Joseph Drouhin), we moved on to the menu. Here’s where the reminder comes in - even though I knew that the pairing would not work, I wanted (and ordered) mussels in a white wine/butter sauce. I was right, the Pinot Noir simply did not work with the dish. Instead, I should have resisted the peer pressure from the table and tried a crisp glass of St. Veran or any Sauvignon Blanc by the glass.  Although it is rare to encounter a food and wine pairing disaster, a poor pairing can distract from the experience.  Chef Doug Katz serves up great mussels worthy of a great pairing. Lesson learned.

Every wine magazine or newsletter I pick up seems to have a fair share of ink devoted to the closure debate and screw caps are seemingly in the lead. Most wine professionals around the globe believe that American consumers still think wines sealed with anything but a natural cork are cheap - not inexpensive, but cheap. I wonder if that is really true? As American wine sippers become more educated, their bais against screw caps is naturally softened. Let’s face it, while natural cork is still the most used closure, acceptance of screw cap is on the rise. And for good reason. Screw caps are easy to open, require no special tools and protect the wine from oxygen. New Zealand and Aussie white wines are now 80% and 50% under Stelvin cap - regardless of quality or price. For wines that are to be consumed within the first three years of life, I say screw’em. Yet, I am not as cavalier (GO CAVs) when it comes to red wine closures. For some reason, I personally like my red wines sealed by a cork. Whether for long-term aging or early drinking, I feel that reds are sexier under cork. Interesting since there is nothing sexy about a TCA infected “corked” wine.