Rant: Respect The Single Country Wine List

Consider this situation: You dine at a new Italian restaurant and while you peruse its wine list, you see that they only carry Italian wines. There is no California Chardonnay or Australian Shiraz, no New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Argentina Malbec. Instead, you see listings for Chianti and Prosecco, Franciacorta and Barolo, as well as wines with grapes unfamiliar to you, like Grillo, Frappato and Arneis. 

Does this situation bother you because you can't find the wines you usually enjoy? Does this situation bother you because you don't know much about many of those Italian wines? Or are you pleased with the wine menu, relishing the adventure of exploring the list, and potentially finding new favorite wines? I hope you answered positively to the third question. 

There are restaurants which choose to limit their wine list to a single country, to fit their cuisine, though locally, they are in the minority. A couple of my favorite restaurants which do this include Krasi (all Greek wine list) and A Tavola (all Italian wine list). However, many restaurants create wine lists which try to cater to diverse preferences, not willing to take the risk of a single country list. They fear offending some of their customers by not having certain types of wines. Their wine list might be predominately from one country, but there will be a percentage from at least several other countries. 

Is that really necessary?

I respect a restaurant willing to create a single country wine list, and I know I'm sure to find plenty of wines that will enjoy. I also savor the adventure of exploring such a list, trying wines that are new to me. Sure, wines from all over the world can pair well with Italian cuisine, but if an Italian restaurant only wants to offer Italian wines to pair with their cuisine, I am fully supportive of their desire. It's a way to expose more consumers to the diversity and wonders of Italian wine, to helping to broaden their palates. 

You wouldn't go to an Italian restaurant and expect to find Australian meat pies or Southern-style fried chicken, so why expect to find wines from places other than Italy? You are going for the experience of Italian cuisine, and wine is actually food. Thus, it makes sense that Italian wine is served as part of the Italian cuisine. This applies to any ethnic restaurant which chooses to limit its wine list to the country of its cuisine. 

For many restaurants though, it's a matter of money. There are some picky and demanding consumers who would object to such a singular wine list. They are too set in their ways, unwilling to be open to new wines, and only want to be able to get their California Chardonnay, or other vinous preference, no matter what restaurant where they dine. If a restaurant has a single country wine list, they won't attract these type of customers, and that could have negative economic consequences for the restaurant. 

It's also this type of picky consumer who demands that every Italian restaurant must serve Chicken Parmigiana, even if that Italian restaurant desires to only serve a specific regional cuisine which wouldn't serve such a dish, or simply doesn't want to serve that dish. Those picky consumers won't patronize an Italian restaurant which doesn't serve their favorite dish. 

We need to give our support to those restaurant brave enough to have a single country wine list, to dine at such restaurants and enjoy their wine choices. Consumers need to be more open to wines that are outside their usual preference. They shouldn't demand that every restaurant conform to their own wine preferences. Be open to the joys of other wines. The sommelier, wine director, or servers at these restaurants can help you select wines that are similar to your preferences, and will appeal to you.  

What are your thoughts on restaurants with single country wine lists? Do you have any favorite restaurants with such a list?