Wine & Beverage
Almost every long menu opens with bubbles, and the choice sets the tone. The useful distinction is not price but style: who grew the fruit, and how much time the wine spent on lees.
By The Reservation Desk Editorial Team · Published January 22, 2025 · Last updated · 5 min read
Grower producers make wine from their own fruit, usually from one village. The results are more particular and often better value than the large houses at equivalent prices.
For an opening glass alongside canapés, a chalky Blanc de Blancs or a lean Extra Brut is more useful than a rich prestige cuvée.
Large houses blend across villages and vintages for consistency, and their prestige cuvées with long lees ageing are genuinely exceptional wines — they simply cost accordingly.
If the table is celebrating, that consistency and the recognition value are legitimate reasons to order one.
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Our editorial team researches fine-dining access, booking windows and menu formats across the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Every guide is compiled from restaurant-published information, official reservation platforms and first-hand dining notes, then re-checked before each update.
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