Caterina

Agreed but you have to keep in mind import taxes and county or country sales tax. Hence prices.

Stretch: Try the Wijnhuis Restaurant on church street in Stellenbosch, SA. I was part of the team in 1997 worked in SA there for 2. 5 years! Paarl and Franschhoek find great simple food made with passion and have some great eateries also. Beautiful wines and terrior plus outstanding weather and landscape.

To check out...Top Bar Lounge NYC to add to list... 1. Death & Company 433 E 6th street 2. Flat Iron Lounge 37 W 19th 3. Little Branch 20 7th Ave/Leroy

Trummer's on Main. Phenomenal! Beautiful! Historical landmark. A memorable dinning experience overall. Offered dinner at the bar, nice! Try. Trummer's Cocktails a learned craft: The Titanic Trummer's the signature drink and The Sage. Yum! The whole team, Stefan, Victoria amazing team, exceed expectations, anticipate your needs are all very charming and hospitable. Clayton, Chris and Tyler remarkable talented team. Elevated enhanced by the fun and friendly team. Note: The restaurant was crowded. Go check it out. Worth the drive.

O'Connell's Irish Bar on Stora Nygatan in the Old Town 112 king street Old town Alexandria. Out side dinning. very busy/crowded. near water front. Everybody loves an Irish Pub, especially when it is authentic, ... O'Connell's is located on King Street two blocks from Old Town's ...

Every person in this chain adds a mark-up to the bottle: broker, importer, supplier, distributor. This means that the $11.17 bottle most likely costs $1-2 at the source and has been marked up by everyone involved. So that is the bottom line. I could not have agreed more. Mark is the advocate of wine buying. Brilliant! I will come visit you at Rays in VA and we can drink the Macon-Loché without any politics and red tape. We have a date with destiny. BTW- when I was the original wine director at 2941 Restaurant, VA, I fortunately had come up with a plan, buying directly from the source. Wine labeling laws were a challenge. Painfully, I can't do this so easily but I am working on making more changes. Salut

Juice "Content": Speaking of which, from my retail wine shop experience. Retail pricing also varies from one outfit to the next. I.e. Whole Foods (W.F.) have a wine specialist working in their wine department. The wine specialist controls quality and value and is an expert wine buyer. Each W.F., wine department is run independently. The same wines are not mimicked in every W.F., wine department. Hence, I did not find the same wines in Alexandria vs George Town. I.e. W.F. in Alexandria have great pricing and fair markups on their selection of wines, is the overall consensus. It's excellent! I also found many great wines carried in W.F. that I have seen throughout many restaurant's lists, at great prices, which is no surprise to me. These same wines, as the wine market shifted, gradually made there way from restaurants to retail, or vise a versa, i.e.,. W.F. or other retail outfits that specialize in wines. Generally speaking, the bottom line is finding quality and value and having the expertise or specialized wine consultant, knowledgeable in their market and listening to their customers. Wine pricing and mark ups have always been controversial, and vary from wine to wine, at the end of the day, I am also concerned as a buyer and consumer with the actual cost of the wines that I purchase. I always ask for a fair price. I am also paying attention, listening and very concerned for our customers. You will definitely find a selection of wine gems on both sides of the river. There is a big difference in the sales tax also. Anyway enjoy the wine your drink. Has anyone noticed the wine prices in restaurants abroad? It's more of a challenge, interesting and fun, for me to find wines under $20-$30, "esoteric." Thank you Cheers!

Singling out Cafe du Parc, in all of DC because it was tangential to your point -- to raise issues about high wine prices across the board and the perceived value of what you're getting for your money, is very interesting. A winemaker's skill is reflected in the wholesale cost, not in the price the bottle that is marked up in a restaurant. Not knowing what the wholesale cost of the wine is in the restaurant. Normally, if you're paying a standard markup on wine, the restaurant should provide knowledgeable service, good glassware and a wide selection of wines, served at the proper temperatures. Curious: since we are on the subject, knowing that there is also markup on a Mixed Drinks, throughout the hospitality industry, which in some circumstances this also can be considered as a topic for a hot debate. On a positive note, at least, you can feel like you are rewarding a specialized field or artistry of the bartender, mixologist or sommelier. Thank you for your comments very much appreciated.

Yes, it is the wave of the future. We are pushing for change and challenging the bottom line. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you, Mark Slater. Cheers go to the Enlightened One. Very well stated. I agree with everything he said. Caterina

I believe Calvert Woodely might have a way to cut out the middle man. Also they buy in more bulk volume. Which allows them more leverage. I don't believe you can find The Macon-Loche, Domaine Celine & Laurent 2006 everywhere. Just specialty wine shops. 2006 vintage it retails for under $30! Prices are reflected on vintages, what vintage was $16.99? Thanks for the tip I can buy my wines there! If you can find it locally. This lovely lemon-gold Macon offers aromas of apple skin and hazelnut, ripe flavors of lemon citrus. A honeyed taste, with moderate acidity and a firm finish. It's also biodynamic. Importer is Elite Wines. My apologies for your mixed experience.

On The Scotch Bar and Jim. Enjoy! Jim Hewes Educated Drinking: Lessons on Scotch Flavors SCOTCH MAY BE associated with Grandfather's coctkail hour, but the amber libation is no longer inaccessible. The Willard InterContinental recently opened the Scotch Bar at Round Robin with more than 100 malt whiskies. Bartender Jim Hewes, who developed the menu, says, "There's a mystique to it, but [understanding it] isn't rocket science." The menu, divided by region of Scotland, includes a range of ages — the youngest is 10, the oldest more than six decades. "I tried to create a collection that has what people expect to find and also what you can't find anywhere," he says. "Those aren't necessarily the top end, but whiskies that are 10 to 12 years old that they don't make anymore." The "expected" list includes the Glenlivet, while a "prestige" list includes the Johnnie Walker King George V Blue Label, which re-creates the Johnnie Walker blending style from King George V's era. There are four flights of scotch on the menu, but Hewes says he doesn't encourage people to order them. He and the other bartenders can help people figure out which scotch they'll like by asking what other types of liquor they prefer. "I like to let people sip, taste and experiment on a one-to-one basis," he says. "I can tailor a flight for someone based on their tastes." Scotches are available in quarter-ounce ($3-$20) and ounce servings ($10-$75), which gives patrons a chance to try several whiskies at a time. The menu also includes cocktails, such as the Rob Royale, a combination of champagne, malt whiskey and honey. With only a few tables and several seats at the bar, the Scotch Bar is a cozy spot to settle in for the evening and pretend you're taking a vacation to Edinburgh. It's open daily from 4:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. » Willard InterContinental Round Robin, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; 202-637-7348. (Metro Center)

I was so excited for Mark I submitted twice.Yea!

Mark is a maverick. Working with him, a walking wine encyclopedia. Most talented expert in wine that walks our planet. Mark is a great teacher and inspiration. I believe you, this is going to be a great opportunity and more flexibility. No doubt. He will definitely make it one of the best destinations for wine in the nation, "a national destination for wine lovers to explore and discover new and exciting wines." I have a feeling it's going to be amazing! Mark is a great investment! Bravo Team!

Congratulations to Mark, Mark you are the king, this is undisputed. Hope to see you in part two. Exciting! Congratulations to Kathy!