THE WINE LIST

When you decide to head for a very special restaurant for a very special occasion, you know that you’re going to pay a very special price for the experience.

Of course, this does not mean you should get very specially ripped off. But unless you shop the 200-wines list at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Georgian Room carefully, the tab is likely to be a shock.

Champagne should kick off such events, but if you choose the elegant Louis Roederer Nonvintage Brut, the price is $72. This is a wine selling all around town in retail shops for $35 and in some discount stores for $19.99.

Don’t consider, either, Moet White Star ($66 here, $25 in the shops) or Veuve Cliquot non-vintage ($65 here, $30 in stores). And if you’re into Dom Perignon, it’s $170.

The only sparkling value, relatively speaking, is Mumm Cuvee Napa, an elegant wine that sells here for only $27 (discount shops carry it for under $10).

All of the list is priced like this, so here, for the value-conscious, are the best buys. Whites: 1989 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc, $21; 1989 Silverado Chardonnay, $30. Reds: 1986 Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon, $19; Chateau Bel-Air, Haut Medoc, $19.

The dining room’s by-the-glass program offers good value. Fifteen wines are available, topped by the Mumm sparkling wine ($6.50), a 1988 Chardonnay from Franciscan ($5) and the Franciscan Cabernet ($5). There is also a Macon Villages and the Chateau Bel-Air, each $5 a glass.