Wining and Dining Out: on Understanding Restaurant Wine Lists

Analysis of the cultural role of meals has a long history, and dining out is significant in that history as perhaps their most public and observable example. This paper examines a neglected feature of dining out - the production and provision of wine lists. Adding wine to a meal can elevate it to a social event that reflects taste, status, and social distinction in ways that vary culturally. Whether to add wine choices to food choices offered as a transaction suggests an array of questions related to wine's impact on the public dining experience. Drawing on a review of the literature, anecdotal evidence, and some recent data, this paper explores the role of wine in dining out, with a focus on wine list content and wine service.