THE WINE LIST

Americans tend to serve red wine too warm and white wine too cold. When icy cold, white wine loses most of its flavor and aroma, and a warm red will taste flat and alcoholic. Either way, you’re wasting money. The absurd thing is that restaurants are the worst offenders.

We usually read that red wine should be served “at room temperature,” but this does not mean the room temperature Americans prefer. It means about 62 degrees.

At Tryst one recent, warm evening, a bottle of 1986 La Croix St. Jean, $20, was served at about 72 degrees. The friendly and efficient waiter wasn’t taken aback when we asked for an ice bucket, but he expressed curiosity about why we would “chill” a claret.

“Not chill it,” I said. “Cool it to the proper serving temperature.”

Apart from that little problem, the wine program at Tryst is fairly good. The list is small but selected well, and there are a few finds at fair prices. Among the whites, choose from 1990 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, $16, or 1989 Hess Collection Chardonnay, $24. In the reds, 1990 DeLoach Zinfandel, $19; 1988 Husch Cabernet Sauvignon, $23; 1990 Qupe Syrah, $18, or 1989 Byron Pinot Noir, $24.

If you encounter a wine-temperature problem at a restaurant, just ask for and immerse the bottle in an ice-filled bucket for 10 minutes; this is sufficient to get most reds down to an enjoyable temperature. And if a white wine is too cold, just let it sit. In our overheated restaurants, it will be the correct temperature in about 20 minutes.