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The 15 Best Restaurant Wine Lists In Los Angeles

As good as the food is at a restaurant, what can make a meal even better is the wine selections to pair with the food. It is not about the size of the list or having the correct list of wines. It is about understanding the cuisine of the restaurant and the customer and then creating a list to appeal to both. My recent story in California Winery Advisor listed 15 of the best restaurant wine lists in Los Angeles and you can read it here. ************************************************************** Wondering who has the best restaurant wine lists in Los Angeles and why? It is not the size of the wine list. It is not because it has a list of every aspirational, expensive, highly scored wine. And it is definitely not a good list when the list consists of generic mass-produced brands that can be found on the shelves of the local grocery store. A good wine list is one that is curated by the wine director of the restaurant to pair with the food on the menu. It is a list that offers a range of price points and combines familiarity as well as uniqueness. With so many exceptional restaurants in Los Angeles, a good wine list is what can set one apart from another. Here are 15 restaurants offering some of the most interesting, exciting and appropriate wine selections for the customer.

02 July, 2019

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Pairing Wine with Brix Chocolate

Although wine and chocolate seem like a cliché, the fact is that they do not pair easily together. Either the chocolate is too sweet or it is too bitter and dominates the wine. Chocolate, like wine, has tannins and tannin-heavy red can clash with a piece of dark chocolate. But, if you like dark chocolate and you like wine and you want them to work together, than the answer is Brix chocolate. I found harmony in a pairing of Brix Medium Dark Chocolate and a glass of McCay Cellars Syrah from Lodi. That is why pairing wine with Brix chocolate is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Crafted to pair with wine, Brix chocolate is a single origin Ghanaian chocolate, known for its red fruit tones. The Ghanaian chocolate is mixed with confectionery chocolate to create four specific blends.

04 May, 2019

A Wine and Food Pairing Experience at Jardin d’Hiver at Domaine Carneros

A visit to Napa or Sonoma is not complete without a stop at Domaine Carneros. Located in the Carneros AVA, between Napa and Sonoma counties, the eye-catching Domaine Carneros sits on a hill in its grandiosity. Owned by the Tattinger family, the magnificent château was inspired by the 18^thcentury Château de la Marquetterie, the Taittinger family residence in the Champagne region.

To get to the château, you walk up a large set of stairs. At the top, you will be greeted and seated at a table along the outdoor terrace where you can enjoy a flight of wine or a glass of wine. It is a relaxing, elegant wine tasting experience. But, Domaine Carneros has now taken it to the next level with the Jardin d'Hiver, a garden conservatory.

01 November, 2018