A restaurant wine list can be an intimidating document. Most of them are not user friendly and are not organized in a way helpful to patrons with limited knowledge about wines and where they come from.

In the profession, there is considerable discussion about how varied a list really needs to be. Too short, and customers might feel there is insufficient choice; too long, and they’re likely to feel frustrated and under considerable pressure to make a choice.

When I’m seated at a restaurant I immediately ask to see the wine list. Sometimes, especially when traveling and trying to decide where to have dinner, I ask to see the wine list before being seated just to help in the decision process. Often the food I order depends on the wine available to drink with it.

And my one steadfast criterion in choosing a wine is the bottle price. I always let the column on the right influence my meal. Watch the video just to see a few examples of wine lists from some local and some European restaurants.

Be sure to watch the video at right featuring Dr. Allen Dale 'Ole' Olson »