Piero Selvaggio and the house that wine built: Valentino's grew as its owner's wine sensibility did. Now, the Santa Monica fixture is one of America's best-known Italian restaurants

Cheers, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Sharon Boorstin

Bringing New Wines to Old Palates

One way Selvaggio introduces new wines to guests at Valentino is by offering nearly 20 different wines-by-the-glass for prices ranging from $6 to $12. The daily-changing list usually includes three sparkling wines, seven whites, eight reds and one rose "Of course we always feature a California and an Italian chardonnay, California merlots, cabs and pinot noirs," he explains, "along with a Chianti and some of the big Italian wines like Brunello and Barolo."

Selvaggio also likes to offer what he calls "fun" wines--wines that nobody knows about, like the Marina Bianco produced at Colle Ticchone, just outside of Rome. "Paola Di Mauro is a marvelous cook who taught herself all about winemaking so that she could produce good wine to go with her food."

Another way Selvaggio encourages guests to sample new wines is by offering a daily tasting menu, with a wine to match each course. In addition the Valentino wine list offers over 100 wines by the half bottle. "Many people like to hear the sound of a 'pop' when a bottle is uncorked," he claims, "so they might order a couple of different half-bottles to go with dinner instead of wines by the glass. The good thing is that it is now getting easier to find good wines by the half bottle."

Selvaggio urges restaurateurs to seek out wines from small producers, to become knowledgable about the wines that they serve and to educate their guests. "It's unnecessary to have many high-end Bordeaux and Cabernets," he advises, "and some of the cult California wines have small mailing lists and tiny outputs, so they can't spare wines for small or new restaurants. That's why it's good to look for the potential stars of tomorrow from evolving producers, like we did at Valentino. If you buy a case or two from a small vintner one year, the next year they might sell you more. And the better known your restaurant becomes, the more they'll want their wine to be on your list. They want their baby in a good home."

Clearly, the best winemakers in the world have found a good home for their wines at Valentino.

Sharon Boorstin writes about food, wine and travel for many publications including Bon Appetit and the Los Angeles Times. Her new hook, Let Us Eat Cake: Memories of Food and Friendship will he published in May by ReganBooks/HarperCollins.