Several months ago I visited an Italian restaurant where the food was terrific, including a creamy risotto with foraged herbs, then a wild boar ragout rich with porcini. Unfortunately, the wines were shocking: a Verdicchio from Le Marche should have been better than tart and lemony, and a Puglian Primitivo was a soupy, alcoholic concoction of zero typicity. Like many restaurants, the wine list was deliberately obfuscated: full of exclusively ‘on-trade’ labels (wines only available in bars and restaurants) that ensure customers can’t compare prices with the high street. A reasonable knowledge of wine grapes, regions and styles gives at least some chance of choosing wisely; otherwise it’s a complete lottery. My tactic of taking a punt on something that has decent credentials on paper and is modestly priced normally turns up a decent wine – but you can still be unlucky. Below are a few ‘honourable exceptions’ – restaurants where you can find great choice and value…

Now 18 branches, and a list that’s more carefully chosen than at many chains. Local buying decisions are allowed, sommeliers even buying wine at auction. Some less-obvious Italian choices, and you can buy from the shop to drink with your meal. The prices are a little steep, but it has a serious and unrivalled selection of Argentinian wines. Focused on whites to suit the mainly fishy cuisine; Under the same ownership. Exceptional lists with lots by the glass, and some prices cheaper than retail. Only ever buying 10 cases of wine for its ever-changing list – and great food-matching too. A great example of a fixed cash margin replacing percentage gross profit further up the list. Masterchef: The Professionals winner Jamie Scott’s bistro; a fab list from a local merchant.Subscribe to Decanter here. Trying to save money...? Who better to ask where to wine and dine in London than our experts... Where's best for Italophiles in New York...

Jane Anson names exciting sommeliers in the city... Fiona Beckett finds top wine lists in unlikely places... You don't need to give up on these regions, says Fiona Beckett...The requested URL /home was not found on this server. Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Errorpictures of wine on the beach error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.best selling wine in usaIf you thought you had been outsmarting restaurants by plumping for the second or third cheapest wine on the list, then think again.best types of wine to drinkContrary to popular belief, the wines one or two above the cheapest at a restaurant is no more likely to be of better quality or value than the lowest priced glass or bottle on the list, according to sommelier Mark Oldman.He says restaurants know diners will often opt for one above the cheapest, and will place wines with higher mark-ups in these coveted slots.buy wine east village

Restaurants know diners will often choose the second or third cheapest wine on the last - and place wines with a high mark up in these slots on purpose, according to Mark OldmanHis advice? Always choose the cheapest wine on the list, reports Business Insider.'You are better served to order the cheapest wine, which diners often neglect out of fear or embarrassment and thus is often a better value,' Oldman writes in his book How to Drink Like a Billionaire.'Just make sure you do so at a restaurant that cares about its wine, where even modestly prices wines are of admirable quality.' best bottle of wine 2015And he has some devastating news for those who think they're outwitting restaurants by opting for the second or third cheapest instead.buy german wine online uk Gaining enough knowledge to become a sommelier takes years of training and tastings - and only about 200 people in the world have passed an exam to earn the renowned title of 'Master Sommelier' since 1969'Knowing that it will sell swiftly, [the wine director] may have slotted an overstocked bottle into the position on the list. names of best wine in india

Even worse, he may have marked up this wine more than any other, making it potentially the worst value on the list.'Less surprising is Oldman's advice that wines by the glass are rarely better value than buying by the bottle.In fact, he says that often buying one glass of wine will have already covered the cost of what the restaurant paid for the bottle wholesale.best wine cities spainBut if you've bought a cheap wine that doesn't taste good, there is a way to instantly improve the taste.best wine with fishAdding a few grains of salt can balance out uneven flavours, according to wine buff Nathan Myrhvold, a technology officer at Microsoft.You should always buy the cheapest bottle on the wine list in restaurants, according to food critic Jay Rayner. Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Rayner said diners should purchase cheaper bottles to combat snobbery from wine connoisseurs: "I refuse to be intimidated by a wine list."

Asking for a pinot under £50 is...not a great strategy for getting the best value wine "Wine lists are fraught with problems but mostly because of the b------- spouted by wine connoisseurs. They irritate me profoundly. I do not hold to being intimidated by anything in this life, and if a wine list irritates you just buy the cheapest on the list and tell them all to p--- off." He also added that expensive wines should only ever be purchased in stores to be enjoyed at home. A 2015 survey revealed that nearly half of all diners will choose the second cheapest wine on the list when eating out. Telegraph wine columnist Victoria Moore says: "I do tend to choose from the shallow end of the wine list. I can treat myself to the occasional £20 or £40 bottle at home and there's no way I can afford a similar quality with restaurant mark-ups. So it's just a matter of managing budgets to get the most drinking pleasure out of them." "However, I think Jay is being a little disingenuous here as the sort of bottles he will be opening at home will be priced at a level that a lot of those in his audience could never afford.

"I see that he's eating out in places where the cheapest wine is priced at £49 a bottle, so I don't think he can claim to be a man of the people. It's not exactly Pizza Express, is it?" She added that "if you're in a level of restaurant where the mark-ups are going to be high, asking for a pinot under £50 is more a tough test of the skill of the person who wrote the wine list. It's not a great strategy for getting the best value wine." So how do you choose the best value wine for you? Don't feel the need to rush when presented with the wine list. Ask for a "glass of something cold before we start" to give yourself the chance to take a look through the list in your own time and make a decision. Start at the back Wine expert Matthew Jukes recommends starting at the back of the wine list: "The New World section is usually much shorter. Find a wine you'd like. Then browse through the rest of the list and see if you can beat it." Susy Atkins says "if a wine is open, which is certainly the case with those served by the glass, then a half-decent waiter should be pleased to give you a small sip.

"Just ask - what's the worst than can happen? They might say no (never mind), or the wine might taste awful (thank goodness you didn't buy a whole bottle)." Tell them what you like Let your waiter know what types of wine you already know you enjoy so they can see if they have something similar on the menu for you. Victoria Moore's tips for choosing the best bottle for you Pick a wine style you know you like. This sounds obvious but in my experience, most people will prefer a bad version of a wine they like to a good version of a style they don't. Avoid big names: they're almost always poor value. Instead, go for wines from areas that are less well known - the sort that used to be called Vin de Pays and are now (thanks EU) referred to as IGP are particularly good value. So instead of a Crozes Hermitage you might find a syrah from the Collines Rhodaniennes. Same grape, still from the wider Rhone area, but much cheaper. Instead of Sancerre, pick a sauvignon de Touraine.