STEPHEN SANTACROCE -- Dining Out

As a restaurant writer, I spend a lot of time talking about food. I’m

constantly telling you, my readers, what I think of a particular

restaurant, what some of my favorites are and why. What I don’t get to

talk enough about is wine.

This is, in part, because I’m not an expert on wine. I’m just learning

the various regions in Bordeaux, and Burgundies are still somewhat of a

mystery. But I know one thing: Food and wine are meant to be enjoyed

together. The pairing is kind of like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

They’re both great in their own right, graceful and fluid, but together

they complement and bring out the best in each other.

In the Newport-Mesa area, we are graced with many fine restaurants,

some of which feature outstanding wine lists. No less than eight

restaurants in the area have been awarded Wine Spectator magazine’s Award

of Excellence, a distinction bestowed on restaurants with noteworthy wine

offerings.

Oysters (2515 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, [949] 675-7411, $15

corkage) was recently singled out in the Spectator with a Best of Award

of Excellence, the second-highest rating awarded. Sommelier Gibson Smith

has assembled a comprehensive listing of California wines.

The list is notable for its extensive selection of cabernet sauvignon.

Almost 200 are listed on Oysters’ list, including vertical offerings from

several harder to find boutique wineries. No less than 13 cabernet wines

from Diamond Creek in the Napa Valley make the list, as well as six

Caymus Special Selections, including the hard to find 1982 and 1990.

If you’re celebrating with a group, have Gibson wheel out a Methuselah

(six liters) of Silver Oak. I’m thinking it’s worth the $1,000 list price just to watch them pour from the behemoth bottle.

While Oysters celebrates our home state’s best vintages, Bistro le

Crillon (2523 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, [949] 640-8181, $15

corkage, one bottle limit) features one of the most comprehensive lists

of French wines you’ll find in the county. Owner Diego Ostrochi has

assembled a collection of older and hard to find wines that is amazing in

its breadth.

At this small but charming strip-mall bistro, you’ll find white

Bordeaux, such as Haut Brion and Carbonniex Grand Cru, red Bordeaux,

including several premier cruets, and an outstanding selection of

Burgundies, including several greats from Domaine de la Romainee-Conti,

such as La Tache, Richebourg, Echezeaux and Romainee Conti itself. You’ll

also find some great choices from the Basque and Provence regions, and a

reasonable number of bottles from Italy.

Italian wines have enjoyed renewed interest of late, and just in time

too. The stigma of the cheap Chianti in straw-encased bottles is all but

gone as wine lovers enjoy Barolos, super-Tuscans and other Italian

varietals in greater numbers than ever.

Antonello (1611 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, $15 corkage) features a

wine list that will allow you to sample some of the best that Italy has

to offer, paired with the area’s best Italian cuisine. Sommelier Steve

Ebol offers some advice on the restaurant’s Web site: “Sip wine slowly,

and allow it to sit in your mouth for a few moments, allowing the wine to

release its flavors.”

Novice wine drinkers may be easily intimidated choosing a wine from

lists that often feature 300 selections or more. If you’re not sure

about a particular wine or need a suggestion on the best wine to

complement a particular dish, ask the sommelier or wine steward. The

sommelier is someone who loves wine, and most often will be eager assist

in suggesting the perfect bottle to go with your meal.

Don’t be shy about discussing your budget, either. I’ve found good

wines to be all the more enjoyable if I’m not worried about the second

mortgage I’ll need to pay for them.

I’ve listed the corkage fee next to the restaurants I’ve discussed.

It’s the fee restaurants charge customers who bring their own bottle of

wine to enjoy with their meal.

So when is or isn’t it appropriate to bring your own wine? Dave

Martel, general manager of Bayside Restaurant (900 Bayside Drive, Newport

Beach, [949] 721-1222, $15 corkage) offers several tips.

First, bring a bottle only if you know that it isn’t already on the

restaurant’s list. If you’re not sure, call in advance. High-end

restaurants have spent considerable time and capital building their

cellars.

Don’t bring a bottle just because you can get it cheaper at Ralphs,

but rather bring something from your cellar that you’ve been saving for a

special occasion. And it’s good form to not bring more than one bottle,

and to also order something from the restaurant’s list as well.

Bayside has assembled an eclectic wine list, featuring wines from

almost every wine-producing region in the world. Martel boasts that they

offer more than 500 selections and keep 10,000 bottles on hand. Twelve

hundred of these are stored in the striking wine tower, a sleek,

stainless steel and glass structure that anchors one end of the

restaurant’s cocktail bar.

Other restaurants notable for having received Wine Spectator’s Award

of Excellence include Pascal (1000 Bristol St., Newport Beach, [949]

752-0107, $15 corkage), Five Crowns (3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del

Mar, [949] 760-0331, $15 corkage) and The Quiet Woman (3224 E. Coast

Highway, Corona del Mar, [949] 640-7440).

Aubergine, (508 29th St., Newport Beach, [949] 723-4150, $25 corkage,

one bottle limit) and its sister restaurant, Troquet, (3333 Bristol St.,

Costa Mesa, [714] 708-6865, $15 corkage) have both also been honored by

the magazine.

Finally, a word about food pairings. We’ve all heard that you should

drink red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry. While

these are not hard and fast rules, they are good guidelines as to what

flavors will go well together.

Heavy, tannic reds hold up well against the rich flavors of red meat,

but the same tannins may clash with the delicate flavor of many fish

dishes. Conversely, a buttery chardonnay brings out seafood’s more subtle

flavors, but the wine’s charm might get lost when accompanying a hearty

steak.

The bottom line is: Drink what you like. Don’t let rules get in the

way of a fun evening and, by all means, experiment. Take advantage of the

many fine wines offered by the area’s great restaurants.

* STEPHEN SANTACROCE’S restaurant reviews appear every other Thursday.

Send him your comments at food_critic@hotmail.com.