THE WINE LIST

Although the wine list at Zucchero is maddeningly incomplete, good things tend to happen when you order.

The list is largely Italian and quite compact--only three dozen wines. But they are reasonably priced. And since most recent vintages of Italian wines have been pretty good, you can’t go far wrong.

Among the good values are Lungarotti Pinot Grigio ($23), 1986 Nebbiolo d’Alba from Pavese ($20), and 1985 Barolo from Galliardo ($30). American bargains include 1990 Beringer Chardonnay ($20) and 1990 Chateau Souverain Zinfandel ($19).

The management has promised to beef up the list with some of the more prestigious names in Italian wine. I wonder if they should? The restaurant is modestly priced, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s more important to keep the pricing reasonable than to add a lot of hotshot names.