By Dennis Tafuri, Sommelier and Proprietor of Cask 591 Restaurant and Lounge

Is it ok to go ‘by the glass' at your favorite restaurant?  This is a great question.  I have found that most restaurant's wine by the glass selection to be pretty ho-hum and mundane.  Far too many wine programs are afraid to take risks and offer their guests interesting, esoteric wines not found in the bargain section of your local liquor store.  Who is to blame them?  After all, a bottle of wine once opened will not stay forever like the bottle of 25 year old scotch on the back bar.  The max they have before the wine goes down the drain is 2-3 days, depending on the bottle.  Now there are a lot of different ways to preserve freshly opened bottles of wine that vary greatly in expense and the sight of these items on the back bar of your favorite establishment should help set your mind at ease.

60 average wine drinkers pick their winners and losers without influences like prices and professional descriptions.