Regional Wine Taster publishes “Wine Lists of Shame: KC Restaurants that Serve No Local Wines”
Danny Wood’s new Kansas City based wine website, “Regional Wine Taster” does not pull any punches regarding the lack of local wines being served at Kansas City’s top restaurants. Wood reports that many KC restaurants stress local produce on the food menu, but their wine lists are lacking in regional wines. In his story, “Wine Lists of Shame,” Wood is not afraid to name names. Wood’s new blog also contains other timely information on the Missouri wine industry.
An updated version of this blog article:
Top KC Resturants Still Serve No Local Wine
In January 2012, a survey by this columnist of ten of Kansas City’s top restaurants — originally published on the Regional Winetaster blog — found that none of them have any Missouri or Kansas Wines on their wine lists. More than one year later, this is still the case!
Many of the restaurants say they have the best local and regional produce on their food menus, but still don’t observe the same criteria when it comes to their wine lists. In the original survey, each restaurant was contacted by phone and their wine lists checked online and in the restaurants. This time, a quick check of online wine lists showed that nothing has changed!
The failure comes as advocates, including business associations and farmers’ groups, continue to promote ‘buy local” campaigns to assist the economic recovery by supporting local industries. Missouri’s National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the Department of Agriculture are among a number of groups who support ‘buy local” campaigns. Many of the wine lists in Kansas City restaurants are dominated by Californian and French wines. Wine producers in Missouri and Kansas have told Regional Wine Taster of their frustration at the difficulty getting their wine into restaurants. A winemaker in Hermann described Kansas City restaurants as having a ‘totally closed mind” towards Missouri wine. In recent years, quality wines from Missouri and Kansas have won numerous awards and accolades in national competitions and blind tastings, often against Californian and French competition. The full survey appears below. The restaurants are in alphabetical order.
- Website says: ‘recognized as the quintessential restaurant of Kansas City’s Power and Light District”
- Wine List Note: Some regional wines from Oregon and Washington
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
- Website says: ‘ Progressive American Cuisine…unadorned elegance, staff dedication and attention to detail.”
- Wine List Note: Focuses on a range of Californian and some international wines
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
- Website says: ‘An icon in the city since 1980…It offers the area’s freshest premium seafood, an impressive selection of wines and handcrafted signature cocktails.”
- Wine List Note: A wide-ranging list including many smaller vineyards
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
- Website says: The cuisine ‘mixes rich heritage with a taste of rejuvenated modernism.”
- Wine List Note: A range of US and International wines including bottles from Washington and Oregon
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None (MO and KC wines occasionally present at wine tastings)
- Website says: ‘Our food is simple, elegant and exciting.”
- Wine List Note: Some regional wines from Oregon and Washington
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None (one MO wine was on the list in the past)
- Website says: ‘presenting exceptional cuisine in the most inspired of settings”
- Wine List Note: A range of international and California wines
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None (one MO wine was temporarily on the list several months ago)
- Website says: The Tuscan Grill features ‘some of the freshest ingredients the weekly market has to offer.”
- Wine List Note: Focuses on Italian and Californian wines
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
Piropos Restaurant on the Hill
- Website says: ‘The taste of Argentina is very Midwestern.”
- Wine List Note: Argentinian, Californian, international and some regional US wines
- Missouri of Kansas Wines Available: None (one MO wine -Amigoni red —was on the list until about a month ago)
- Website says: ‘Dating from 1903, it is the oldest restaurant in Kansas City.”
- The Wine List: Includes international, Californian and Oregon wines
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
- Website says: ‘Straight-forward Mediterranean cuisine. Not overdone. Not pretentious. Simply Delicious.”
- The Wine List: Includes international, Californian and Oregon wines
- Missouri or Kansas Wines Available: None
