There's No Free Lunch, but Free Wine? Oui!
By Fritz Hahn
Washington Post Weekend Section
Friday, June 1, 2007

Washington restaurants have moved a long way from the days of "Would you like a glass of red or a glass of white?" -- but there are still plenty of us whose eyes glaze over when handed an extensive wine list.

If you spy an unfamiliar bottle at your local liquor store, you can usually cheat by looking at a posted Robert Parker review or scan the label for clues about the wine's origin or the grapes in the blend. Most wine bars and restaurants, on the other hand, merely provide the name of the producer, the appellation and the vintage. If you don't recognize them, you're flying blind.

(Technically, at this point, you should ask the sommelier for advice, but some people worry about being guided toward wines they won't like, and others just refuse to ask for directions. You know who you are.)

Wine education courses can require a significant investment of time and money, so here's the next best thing for casual enthusiasts: Vidalia, the stylish Southern restaurant on M Street NW, and Bistrot Lepic, a cozy Georgetown French restaurant and wine bar, are trying to spread the gospel of good wine, a few glasses at a time, by letting customers explore their stocks for free.

Vidalia offers a guided flight of three wines weekdays from 5 to 7, while Lepic pours a pair of wines Tuesdays from 6 to 8. Sometimes pairings have a theme, sometimes not. But you'll always leave knowing more about oenology than you did when you arrived.

It's important to note that although these tastings take place after work, they aren't true happy hours; treat them more as an aperitif. The sample sizes are well below what you'd get if you ordered a glass or even a half-glass at the bar. What you should be soaking up is knowledge, not alcohol. The biggest mistake you can make is not asking more questions about the grapes or the taste, or even, "If I like this, what else will I enjoy?" These events are run by professionals, and chances are they can answer whatever you throw at them without making you feel like a moron. (Trust me; I've tried.) Since the pours are small, the restaurants hope customers stick around and test their newfound smarts by sampling a glass at the bar or by perching in a booth with friends and a bottle of something they just discovered.

Bistrot Lepic has a comfortable, dimly lit wine bar that is one of my favorite date spots in the city, boasting a romantic atmosphere and a good, if short, list of French wines by the glass. The Gallic spirit extends to the Tuesday night tastings, too, where all selections come from France.

Caveat: The evening's expert is sometimes a representative of the wine importer or the producer, so you're looking at an ethical trade-off. Though certainly not impartial arbiters of the wine's taste and quality, these people are paid to know everything there is to know about the vineyard's grapes, soil and harvest, so they should be able to answer your questions.

Last week, patrons got to sample two champagnes from Heidsieck and Co. Monopole: the Blue Top brut (which happens to be Lepic's top champagne by the glass) and the fruity, summery Rose.

There's no designated tasting area at Lepic, so the champagne house's rep -- a well-dressed, smooth-talking Frenchman -- sidled up to every table soon after the customers arrived. "Would you like to taste some champagne? It's free!" Since no one says no to free bubbly, he'd fetch glasses and a bottle of brut from an ice bucket near the bar. Everyone was served half a flute, along with the salesman's perfunctory pitch: It's made in Epernay, in Champagne. The grapes are mostly pinot noir, with 20 percent chardonnay and 10 percent pinot meunier. It's not as dry as some others. How do you like it?

A few minutes later, a second glass appears: this time, the soft pink Rose. The process repeats itself.

I've found that I enjoy the evening more when my friends and I snag a seat at the bar and let Ted, the longtime bartender, serve as our guide for the evening. A few weeks ago, the night's free selections included a dry, easy-drinking Puligny-Montrachet from Louis Latour. "If you like that, do you want to try a little flight?" he asked. He picked two other whites from the house list, and we had an enjoyable time sampling half-glasses. It's easy on the wallet, too: On Tuesday nights, every wine on the list, whether by the glass or full bottle, is discounted 20 percent.

The tasting dates sometimes change. If you're curious about what wines will be offered or want to stay on top of the schedule, sign up for the restaurant's e-mail list at http://www.bistrotlepic.com.