Best Wine Lists

I have both coveted and wrestled with the contents of the impressive and daunting wine tomes at The French Laundry, Gary Danko, and Michael Mina, among others. Although the following restaurants have considerably shorter lists than these illustrious names, they contain thoughtful selections that match the style and cuisine of the restaurant, and also offer sufficient variety by the glass and by the bottle. These lists are also approachable enough and reasonably priced such that you do not need an M.S. degree to navigate the waters. Accordingly, the winners of the Best Wine Lists are the following restaurants:

Coi Restaurant, 373 Broadway Avenue (at Montgomery), 415-393-9000, www.coirestaurant.com

Myth, 490 Pacific Avenue (at Sansome), 415-677-8986, www.mythsf.com; Alex Fox, Wine Director

(415) Asian Restaurant and Lounge, 415 Presidio Avenue (at Sacramento), 415-409-0400, www.restaurant415.com; Nicole Burke, Sommelier

Terzo, 3011 Steiner Street (at Union), 415-441-3200, www.terzosf.com

1550 Hyde Cafe, 1550 Hyde Street (at Pacific), 415-775-1550, www.1550hyde.com

Best Wine Bars

What about when you are not going for a full, sit-down dinner, but still have a hankering for a glass, a flight, or a bottle of good wine? San Francisco is home to dozens of wine bars, with more sprouting around the corner every week it seems. The following were chosen as winners based on the following criteria: (1) interesting variety of wines by the glass and by the bottle not limited to a single geographic region; (2) an offering of really tasty and satisfying snacks to complete the wine selections, as opposed to just a bowl of nuts or some boring cheese and crackers; (3) a relaxing yet festive atmosphere to enjoy the company of friends and the juice in your glass, as opposed to a loud bar crowded three-deep with drunk people spilling wine on you; and last but not least (4) each of these locales offer fun and informative wine events – which are frequently included in the Northside’s list of monthly wine events to check out. These wine bars are perfect hangouts for dates, for meeting up with friends, for tourists and residents, and for both wine geeks and nonwine geeks, to just sit and sip, with or without a scrumptious snack or two.

Nectar Wine Lounge, 3330 Steiner Street (at Lombard), 415-345-1377, www.nectarwinelounge.com

CAV Wine Bar, 1666 Market Street (at Gough), 415-437-1770, www.cavwinebar.com

Ottimista Enoteca-Café, 1838 Union Street (at Laguna), 415-674-8400, www.ottimistasf.com

Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, One Ferry Building, Shop 23, 415-391-9400, www.fpwm.com

EOS Wine Bar, 901 Cole Street (at Carl), 415-566-3063, www.eossf.com

Best Wine Stores

So where to go when you want to stock your own private cellar, to pick up a special bottle of wine to go with dinner, to get a case of inexpensive yet impressive wine for an event, or to get help finding the right wine gift for that picky wine lover in your life? These specialty wine stores are not only stocked to the brim with everything you could hope to drink, but with helpful people who can help you navigate your way around the wine world, in keeping with the needs of your pocketbook. They also host regular tastings, so you can preview purchases or experiment with unknown regions or varietals, or both. I find the buying guides in magazines rather meaningless. Think of these guys as your personal wine shopper – Nordstrom’s can’t beat their personal service.

The Wine Club, 953 Harrison Street (at 5th), 415-512-9086, www.thewineclub.com. Ask for Justin Rutherford, Mahon McGrath, or David Goodwin.

K&L Wine Merchants, 638 4th Street (at Brannan), 415-896-1734, www.klwines.com. Ask for Mulan Chan.

D&M Wines & Liquors, 2200 Fillmore Street (at Sacramento), 415-346-1325 www.dandm.com. The prices can be a little higher here, but you cannot beat their selections of Champagne and single malt scotch.

The Jug Shop, 1590 Pacific Avenue (at Polk), 415-885-2922, www.thejugshop.com. This is the definition of your local wine shop.

True Sake, 560 Hayes Street (at Laguna), 415-355-9555, www.truesake.com. I cannot get enough of this store. Mesmerizing selection of daiginjo sakes (my favorite category of sakes; they taste like Juicy Fruit gum).

Best Places To Buy/Sell Private Collections

Am I the only person whose taste in wine changes over time and by season? Other women buy shoes, I buy wine. Like my taste in fashion, my taste in wine is not necessarily the same as it was ten years ago, five years ago, or even last year. Where to go to sell a meticulously-kept private collection or scavenge from someone else’s to acquire hard-to-find wines without having to walk into an auction house? The following resellers are as dependable as they are picky and very reasonable both from the seller and buyer’s point of view – that is a rarity.

WineBid.com, 175 Tower Road, American Canyon, 707-226-5893, www.winebid.com. Ask for Paul Walker, Account Manager.

Benchmark Wine Group, 474 Technology Way, Napa, 707-255-3500, Ask for Cory Wagner, Information Manager.