When I go out to dinner to enjoy dining and companionship, wine plays an important role in my experience. I therefore pay particular attention to a restaurant’s wine list by the bottle, its selection by the glass, its wine prices, and its corkage fee. Increasingly often I bring my own wine, because it is older (or odder) than what is usually available on restaurant menus or because it is simply not available here (such as Western Australian Zinfandel), but often I also try to order a bottle when I bring one. I also take note of the type of glass a restaurant serves wine in. So here are some pointers that distinguish some of the Downtown Palo Alto restaurants. Lists are alphabetical, and hyperlinks to the restaurants are on the Restaurants page.

Best wine lists: Tamarine, Evvia, Bird Dog, Taverna (nice selection of Greek wines plus a fairly extensive list of expensive American, French, and Italian choices). Rangoon Ruby is pretty good. Some restaurants also have high-quality glasses, but you might have to ask to get the best ones.

Smaller but interesting wine lists: Amber Dhara, Joya (tempting list of wines only from Spanish-speaking countries like California). Bevri has an interesting selection of Georgian wines (including semi-sweet and sweet reds and an amber wine (a white with a lot of time on the skins)) but they’re not cheap (the better red by the glass was $17).

Highest corkage fee: Bird Dog $45. Zola $40. Taverna $35. Tamarine $30. Many places are $20.

Lowest corkage fee: Last time I went, Crepevine charged no corkage, and they offered very courteous service to open and pour the wine. (The glasses, however, are puny.) Oren’s Hummus Shop didn’t charge us corkage last time, either, but I don’t know if that’s policy or just an oversight on our server’s part. Slightly bigger wine glasses than Crepevine.

Good combination of choice and corkage: Pampas ($20) waives corkage if you buy a bottle. I love doing this.

As these fees can change rather invisibly, I advise you to check before you go if you plan to bring your own bottle.

There are also the wine bars, either the three every-day ones (see the Wine Bar category) or the once-a-week ones. And there are wine-related specials, from happy hours to half-off nights (especially Sunday and Monday); see the Rants&Raves page for details. We are very fortunate indeed.

Comments? Write me at PaloAltoRestaurants.