Steve Cuozzo, restaurant critic of the NY Post, goes on a rant about wine lists in New York. He complains that "esoteric or pretentious list" leave you "stumped over what to order", and then mentions a few examples including unfamiliar Greek wines, "all-Sicilian wine lists", or " all-French all-natural wines made without intervention by small (i.e., obscure) producers". If there was any doubt about how passionate people are about wine, just read the comments section of this blog post.
Apparently Steve Cuozzo doesn't like to pushed out of his comfort zone. While that is not something I would expect from a restaurant critic (I'm not sure if Steve Cuozzo thinks an all-Napa Cabernet and Chardonnay wine list is the way to go everywhere), Steve's complaints are not new to me. Every time I talk to our users they express the same concerns, and I think Steve Cuozzo's diagnosis is spot on. Wine lists are long, impossible to navigate, full of unknown wines (call it obscure or esoteric), and you feel at the mercy of a sommelier you don't really trust (or that's not present).
Steve Cuozzo does a great job summarizing what I've been hearing repeatedly: "Ordering wine can be a nuisance even in the easiest case. You’re making a pricey decision that will affect everyone’s meal."
However, we fundamentally disagree as to how to solve this problem. I don't think dumbing down and excluding less known wines is the way to go. I DO think small winemakers and obscure regions of the world have a place on wine lists. I don't just think that, I hear that from regular average consumers - they want to try different things, they just don't know how. And their request is rather simple - they want to drink great wine at all times.
This is why I started Easy Vino, to help you navigate wine lists, discover new wines, and above all, drink great wine every time. If you want to be part of our beta test group, download the app from the app store and request an invite.