Paul Grieco has done so much to communicate that wine is not stuffy and serious but exciting and fun. From the Summer of Riesling to free Sherry, Paul is committed to spreading his enthusiasm for the wines that make him tick. These lists are all about grabbing the guest by the shoulders and saying 'hey, we're going on a wild ride. Relax and trust me it's going to be a blast!'

Antonio Gianola is one of the top wine minds in Texas, particularly when it comes to Italian wine. His list at Catalan in Houston took the concept of low-margin wine lists to a whole new level and opened my eyes to how a list could be interactive, educational and fun. These days, things like Biodynamic farming and female winemakers are buzzy on the hip lists in New York, LA and SF but Antonio was tipping the hat to these ideas many years ago. I later learned that he was heavily influenced by Paul Grieco's lists which Paul has later told me are 'open-source' resources made to inspire. My favorite thing about the list is how Antonio mixes wines together and adds a one line note to show what is special about wines that may be passed over. I learned from this list that the wine list is not only a…

This is one of my last wine lists that I wrote for a wine bar/gourmet burger place in Dallas. We wanted to have a wide ranging list representing wines at all price points from virtually all major regions. My intention with this style of list was to make it interactive without a sommelier on the floor and a minimally trained staff. The question I asked was how will this list work when I'm not there on the floor to sell it. I borrowed heavily from Paul Grieco's lists at Terroir and Hearth plus Antonio Gianola's list at Catalan in Houston. We kept the inventory churning with very low pars (ordering bottles) and a low inventory cost. There were always a lot of 86s to keep track of but ordering up to 3 days a week kept it moving. I also tried to keep the markup as low as possible. I…