We have a new wine bar/retail place in Austin called “Fion” which is great! You can pick a bottle off the shelf and taste by the glass, you just need to buy 2 glasses. You can move onto another bottle if you choose, or purchase the bottle with a nominal corkage fee. Great concept and it really seems to be taking off. The staff is very knowledgeable and the atmosphere is very “Texas” casual. We love it.

qotd: another olive garden answer.. have to say i did enjoy the house red (rosso)

qotd: another olive garden answer.. have to say i did enjoy the house red (rosso)

QOTD; WBTG in NYC? I’ll do my research at home thnxs
Mott needs a Gaffer and a sound man

That’s funny.
And I admit it. I’m too cheap…correction…WAY TOO CHEAP to pay the markup restaurants ask on their wine. I am NOT their target market. And call me crazy, but I’d rather blow $100 getting a $90 bottle, and $10 of food cost at home than getting an okay meal and a $25 bottle [marked up out the $@$] at a restaurant.

That’s funny.
And I admit it. I’m too cheap…correction…WAY TOO CHEAP to pay the markup restaurants ask on their wine. I am NOT their target market. And call me crazy, but I’d rather blow $100 getting a $90 bottle, and $10 of food cost at home than getting an okay meal and a $25 bottle [marked up out the $@$] at a restaurant.

Interesting concept with visiting restaurants. Please do this regularly.

My wife and I enjoy the wine at the HOTEL NAUVOO, in Nauvoo Illlinois. http://hotelnauvoo.com/hn/default.asp

They have a great selection of wine from Baxter Vineyard and Winery located in Nauvoo. http://www.nauvoowinery.com/

By the way, Baxter Vineyards was recently featured on Alton Brown’s “Feasting on Asphalt” series on the Food Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1fUDV1vesQ

We recently went to nice place and paid 26.00 dollars on a Murphey Good Fume Blanc only to find it on sale at our grocery store for 5.00. ouch! I hate the mark ups.

QOTD: Filho’s Cucina, which is conveniently attached to Groton Market, our nice lil wine store.

qotd: no restaurant in particular. honestly, most restaurants with bottles in my budget end up offering boring wines, and the restaurants with the good wines want way more than i’m willing to spend. nothing like being able to get a bottle of $8 cotes du rhone for $32 to make you ask for a beer.

but really, for $100 i can have a few friend over on a friday night, crack a few nice bottles and make a really good dinner. thus i do most of my wine lovin’ at home, with friends and family, and i’m perfectly content to keep it that way.

cool episode, and it seems like andre has a good thing going, and is playing with some interesting wines. cheers! also, gv, you’re on a roll with these good episodes lately, man. thanks a bunch

lovin it go gary!!!!!! love the washbasin move at the end. QOTD: i used to love zambra(till they sold it and the wine list changed-it used to be classic spain),then i liked vigne until denisa stopped working there. Maybe its more about the girls than it is about the wine? NaaaaaH!

vj runs a pretty tight ship at the flying frog in asheville nc.what else? maybe my house, with some grill action and a drunken dip into the cellar to pull out something hiding for years………

Great episode GV. Loved the end…too funny.

QOTD: I must admit that I have been studying the wine lists at my favorite eateries, and since I am still developing my palate, I was relying heavily on the scores of the wines. How quickly I was disappointed with the small selection in my area, and now I find that when I am get several glasses, I have been able to try and also find wines I like that I would never have tasted before. Biggest selection goes to the english inn, best selection goes to Cosmos.

yeah !!! forget the restaurant markups!!they are for people with money to blow,unlike me. i savor beautiful gems that i find from southern france for 16$ and i revel in it but i cant drop 200$ a night to play with th high rollers.im stayin home and buyin wholesale. nuf sed.bring it on gary.i love seein the inside of a real nyc wine bar!!! i couldnt afford the cab fare!

It was this place in Bologna that served fantastic antipasti on Friday evenings…free. Wine was good enough. I haven’t found anything over here that comes close.

Great Episode GV & Andre! I’ll definitely have to check out Shelly’s. Nice to see the high acidity red wines offered specifically for the fish. QOTD-Any Italian restaurant

Great episode Gary.

QOTD: Best restaurant for fine in in my home with a few valued friends.

mott needs an assistant! a whole staff, why not! the offf ffffffffff vintage info is very appreciated,.\ just like 90 points, so misunderstood….

I went to this place called the “West End Wine Bar” in North Carolina… It didn’t have the most extensive list, but it was an interesting atmosphere, the people seemed pretty knowledgeable about the wine selection as well. I was with a group of people, and we bought several bottles, all good. Also, never have a problem with the list’s at Morton’s and/or Ruth’s Chris.

I went to this place called the “West End Wine Bar” in North Carolina… It didn’t have the most extensive list, but it was an interesting atmosphere, the people seemed pretty knowledgeable about the wine selection as well. I was with a group of people, and we bought several bottles, all good. Also, never have a problem with the list’s at Morton’s and/or Ruth’s Chris.

My Favorite:
Hands Down my favorite is the Bounty Hunter in Napa, Ca,
They always present great Wine Flights, Great Values on Bottles of Wine, and the food is all good.
Wow, I can taste the bottle of Weiss Waypoint Cabernet(Marco DiGiulio) and a Lamb Chop right now.

My Favorite:
Hands Down my favorite is the Bounty Hunter in Napa, Ca,
They always present great Wine Flights, Great Values on Bottles of Wine, and the food is all good.
Wow, I can taste the bottle of Weiss Waypoint Cabernet(Marco DiGiulio) and a Lamb Chop right now.

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QOTD: Saddle River Inn – NJ

The best place to drink wine in Chicago is Tango Sur… BYOB…. I get to drink rockin’ wines without the 300% mark up…