Cheers for the red, white and blue. At least the reds and whites on an “All American Wine List.” It’s purposeful and I found it has both strengths and limitations.
Wine Lists: Plaza Cafe
The wine list at the Plaza Café in Southampton is not merely good; it is masterly. This is not, however, unqualified praise. Navigating the list for the first time can be confusing, and I have certain other misgivings—as I do about any list—although they relate more to my own tastes and budget than to overall quality. But when it comes to having a purposeful concept, the Plaza Café has gotten it right. This list is well thought out and composed with discerning goals. One of them, “to support and promote American viticulture” is noted in a brief introduction to the wine list. We are also reminded that each wine has “a special, interesting quality or character.” In other words, we are steering clear of generic tastes. Good start.
Having exclusively American selections is an interesting idea that in the end is both a limitation and a strength. It is doubtlessly proper for a restaurant like Plaza Café that serves refined American food. But it could also be an impediment to a well-balanced list and it could subtly pressure the person putting the list together to compromise in order to rationally fill all the categories. Then come the real world or at least real table questions. How desirable can a wine list be that restricts itself to one country? Can it still have the assortment of tastes and varietals that are necessary to please a range of customers? Will it necessarily be a small, boutique list or can it be comprehensive? If it is large enough to be comprehensive, will it be too scattered, without a point of view? Will it accommodate menus that change with the seasons and availability of ingredients?
The answer of course depends on the country. I think a list specializing in French, Italian or Australian wines would satisfy, and the United States, with its many climates and immense variety of wineries certainly qualifies. But can you find the best of every category working with geographical limits? Can you find, for example, a mineral scented chardonnay in California that measures up to a classic Chablis? Can you reproduce the subtlety of an estate Burgundy in an Oregon pinot noir? More than a simple yes or no, I think the answer here is that it might not really matter. When you can offer several dozen chardonnays with a broad range of characteristics, why even worry if any match a Chablis? Or when you have some of the best pinot noirs in America, should you even be thinking about Burgundy?
Douglas Gulija, the very accomplished chef and owner of Plaza Café, assembled the list. Though not a trained sommelier, he has a deep understanding of wine. He also has a discriminating and insightful enough palate to avoid the many pitfalls I mentioned earlier. A few California cult wines are on the list, enough to be fun and fashionable but not overwhelming; for the most part the wines come from well established, highly respected, in some cases legendary, producers.
The title “An All American Wine List” is slightly misleading if you take it to mean a selection of wines from all over America. The West Coast, with California, Oregon and Washington, fills the lion’s share of the list, and the East End of Long Island represents a smaller part. No other regions are on the list. But if you are aiming for top quality rather than an American sampler, those places are exactly where you should be. The list, by the way, has two luxury cuvee champagnes—Dom Perignon and Cristal. I guess no restaurant can skip these irreplaceable French wines for celebratory occasions.
The main part of the wine list is divided into whites and reds, and within each section bottles are organized into subgroups by fairly detailed taste characteristics. These are the relatively less expensive selections. Then there is an extensive list of “collections.” One is for premium Long Island wines not covered in the standard list and one for reserve selections from the West Coast. The other collections cover individual, prestigious West Coast wineries. Here you will find some of the most esteemed wines in America, Grgich Hills, Kistler, Littorai, Opus One, and Williams & Selyem among them.
If you want to order by varietal—say a sauvignon blanc—you will need to look under all the subgroups of white wines and then through each of the collections. But this is not as difficult as it sounds once you understand the logic of the list. For the most part, collection wines are over $100, so if you know your price range you can take an express route to the right section of the list and easily focus in on what you want.
Prices in general are high, but that seems to be true of all East End restaurants. There are only three whites and one red at $30 or under. Most of the red wines that attracted me, even with price in mind, were upwards, often far upwards, of $50. I know wine sales are a dependable profit center for restaurants, especially those with short, or at least imbalanced seasons, but it would be good to see wine specials with gentler prices during the week or off-season. Wine, after all, should be part of everyday life, and for some of us price can make the difference between going out for a casual weekday dinner or staying home.
The food I had at a recent wine dinner was innovative and extraordinarily well prepared. I can recommend the Plaza Café for Chef Douglas Gulija’s impressive cooking as well as his intriguing wine list.
