Armchair Sommelier - Wine Enthusiasts this is for you!

I consider myself a wine drinker and feel that I have a palette for wines. I have on few occasions been able to try some really fine wines such as CakeBread and Silver Oak. When in Europe, I tried unsuccessfully to smuggle back a case of French wine. So when I took on the restaurant, I really wanted wine to be a special area of study for me. So right off, I brought in Aviva wines, a small vendor representing small batch European wines of class & quality.

The wines I brought in weren't appreciated in the way I had hoped. I started to learn, that the vast majority of the customers don't really have an interest in learning about new wines. When ordering a glass of wine they ask for 'red' or 'white'.

Did you know there are 26 varieties of red wines that start with the letter A? There are hundreds of wine varieties and thousands of wineries, there is a vast world to explore in them.

So my BYOB policy is that I don't have a policy. If there is a wine that you love and would like to enjoy, I'm glad to serve it to you, and god knows I understand about family budgets. However. The two occasions I have been asked about BYOB, have been shocking to me the way people behave. The first time I was asked, I agreed and they went to the car to retrieve, it was already opened and half consumed. I had to intercept and retract the permission, because of the potential liability. They left the restaurant. The second time, the table asked and I said I have no policy, and the guy got in his car and drove 10 minutes to the liquor store to get. I still permitted it, but I felt insulted. I am trying to offer great food and wines at a good value, honestly not trying to rip anyone off.

For example, my house wines are $6 a glass, and I don't have a bottle over $45. I still have some interesting wines, but they have better name recognition than those I was getting from Aviva. My house wines are not 'fine' wines, but good table wines from Italy. To compare, one of our local bars serves 'Vendange' wine by the glass for $8.95. I don't expect them to have a great house wine, but I think the magnum costs $7 retail. In my hippie van days I used to call that wine "Vendanger" because of the headache the next day!

So what I'd like to do is try to change that 'red' or 'white' mentality, and offer some sophistication without the price tag. We don't have to drink bad wine and pay a lot for it. We should be exploring different wines, enjoying ourselves with great food and great company! So I'd like to offer to Northport a BYOB wine club.

BYOB Wine Club 
Northport's wine enthusiasts unite. Bring your own bottle any night of the week. You must order a meal. No cork fee.

The ONLY RULE is you have to speak with me about the wine. Tell me why you love it, where it's from and how much it costs & leave your contact information so we can contact you when we host wine events in the future. I encourage you to try wines from our list. The idea is that we open a dialog and learn and try new exciting wines together!

I am getting ready to order wines for the fall. I would gladly accept feedback and hints on types of wine enthusiastic wine drinkers are interested in for the fall & winter. I have just also met a new company that is importing some interesting stuff from Europe, so I am excited to develop the new wine list we will have available on the first of November.

Cheers,
Danyell Miller
owner/Executive Chef
Campari Ristorante - main street Northport
631-757-6700
 






I have also been on a budget most of my life so I know what a lot of inexpensive wines are like too.