A Delightful Adventure for Wine Purists

One glance at the wine list at Chaya Venice and I knew it had been carefully thought out and would be a joy--and an adventure--for wine lovers and novices alike.

The large card lists 100 bottles, ranging in style from the simple and elegant to the outrageous and powerful, with a flood of exciting offerings in the middle.

The thing I liked best about it, though, is that it is not your standard “Chardonnay and Cabernet” listing with a couple of expensive Bordeaux tossed in for effect. It is, in fact, the wine purists’ delight: stuff you wished you had a chance to try once in your life with dinner.

Here you can.

Wondered what a good Marsanne tastes like? Here you can try the 1988 from Qupe for $22. Heard about Woodward Canyon Winery of Washington state? The restaurant offers the opportunity to try a bottle of their 1988 Chardonnay for $27. Interested in tasting a red Rhone wine? There are a dozen as well as a few California Rhone-type wines (such as Bonny Doon’s Cigare Volant at $22).

Moreover, instead of a listing of wines of similar types, you get to choose from Riesling, Muscadet, Sancerre, Chablis, Arneis, Soave, Beaujolais, Chianti, Sangiovese, Brunello, Barolo and even a cult Cabernet Sauvignon from France’s Midi, the acclaimed Mas de Daumas Gassac, at $34.

Some wines seem too pricey, but, then, I tend to think of emperors and new clothes when I see wines such as 1985 Baron de L from Ladoucette at $62, or 1987 Chateau Grillet at $100. I can’t imagine anyone spending his or her own money on these wines.

On the other hand, something like Ludovico Antinori’s 1986 Ornellaia, a deep red wine from Tuscany, is actually a bargain at $48 since the regular retail price is about $40.

Some of the wines are from expert wine merchants Martine Saunier and Kermit Lynch, whose wines from traditional districts such as Burgundy and the Loire are anything but humdrum choices. The 1986 Chateau Trignon Cote du Rhone, imported by Lynch, is an excellent wine; at $15 it can’t be topped for value.

Other values include the 1986 Hess Cabernet ($23), 1987 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare ($14), 1988 Handley Sauvignon Blanc ($16) and 1988 Beaujolais-Villages from George Duboeuf ($16).

Splurgers will like the 1961 Chateau Lynch-Bages (a fair $210), 1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild from a magnum ($285), the extremely rare 1979 Guigal La Mouline ($295) or the superb 1985 Sassicaia ($90).

Gregg Louie, who assembled the fine wine list at Chaya Brasserie, is also responsible for this one. A note at the bottom indicates that if a diner would like a wine from the Brasserie list (where the wine storage is better), it may be ordered with 24-hour notice. This is a nice touch.