Wine List Prices At Postrio Are Similar, but Still Painful

The wine list at Postrio is extremely similar to the wine list at Spago. Same size--about 200 wines each, though Spago has a few more wines, notably older selections. Same well-selected names--Bollinger, Chalone, Matanzas Creek, Bonny Doon, Jordan, Ridge. Same basic selection--small but decent selection of Italian wines; a smattering of good French whites and reds.

In some cases, there’s even similar pricing--about three times wholesale, or, approximately double the price you’d pay at a full-price retail shop. In many cases, however, Postrio’s list is $2 a bottle cheaper than Spago’s.

Still, the locals are complaining.

“Three times wholesale? Absurd,” said one San Francisco friend when told about Postrio’s markup. “Two and a half is almost too high.”

“Yeah, but similar pricing doesn’t seem to bother people at Spago,” I countered.

“Well, that’s L.A.,” he said.