Olive Garden Wine

[Donatelo]

My Wife and I went to Olive garden for lunch yesterday. I ordered a glass of Cabernet from California. It was bitter on the back of my tongue. Not a good wine.
I thought that a nice Italian restaurant would have nice selection of wine. Wrong again.
I did pick up two cases of bottles at the wine store.



Semper Fi, troops. Smoke em if you got em.

 

[Julie]

Olive Garden is a chain restaurant, I would imagine if you go to a local Italian restaurant you will get a good wine.

 

[rustbucket]

My experience with Olive Garden wines have been hit or miss. The good thing is that they let you sample it before you buy the bottle.

 

[JohnT]

Sorry, Not to make fun, but...

Olive Garden? Nice Italian Restaurant?

Tell me you are kidding!

Olive Garden is to Italian Dining as Subways is to Real New York Deli..

It is not that I HATE Olive Garden or that I am a bit of a snob (I am). I have eaten there and came away happy, but I went in with lowered expectations.

 

[Donatelo]

I agree. You are a bit of a snob. I just thought that they would have a better wine list.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

The great thing about Olive Garden is the never ending pasta bowl. And that's about it.

 

[jburtner]

What about their never empty bottle of wine?

Cheers!
-johann

 

[ibglowin]

The endless salad bowl and breadsticks ain't bad either. Darden stock (Olive Garden Parent Company) has gone from $40 in 2014 to over $90 in 2017 so they must be doing something right. Maybe their customers are not interested in the wine list but something else!

 

[Donatelo]

Seems that everyone that posts here has something the like about Olive Garden.. I live in Oklahoma At Byng. check it out on Google earth. I think it is the best that is available to me. I'm through defending my choice of restaurants. Wish they had better wine.

 

[JohnT]

Seems that everyone that posts here has something the like about Olive Garden.. I live in Oklahoma At Byng. check it out on Google earth. I think it is the best that is available to me. I'm through defending my choice of restaurants. Wish they had better wine.

I see your point. I live about 60 minutes from little Italy, NYC. There is a much higher standard.

 

[sour_grapes]

I live in Oklahoma At Byng. check it out on Google earth.

Wouldn't I be better off using Bing Maps ?

 

[ibglowin]

Yep not everyone is as lucky as you to live in New Jersey where prime rib and whole beef tenderloin magically falls out the back of a truck all the time. For lots of folks Olive Garden is the only Italian restaurant in town.

I see your point. I live about 60 minutes from little Italy, NYC. There is a much higher standard.

 

[jgmann67]

The thing about Olive Garden (and all the big chain restaurants, really) is predicability. We go back because we pretty much know the quality of what we're going to get every time. The mom-and-pop places are great, but most times you never know what you're going to get - in terms of quality re: food and service.

There's a restaurant in Harrisburg called Mangia Qui. Great food and an excellent wine list. A friend asked, "what wine would you pick? What's good?" The answer was, "literally everything."

It's owned by a very talented chef and her girlfriend. They hand pick the wine, the menu is authentic European and the service is personal and professional. Not everyplace has a Mangia Qui... but everyplace should.

 

[dcbrown73]

Most chain restaurants usually have a selection of extremely cheap low quality wine as a "house wine" and then a selection of popular brand wines at a higher price point. (Kendall Jackson, Clos du Buis, Chateau Ste. Michelle, J. Lohr, etc)

House wines are generally not that great in chain restaurants. The exception is when you go to high end chain restaurants. (Ruth Chris, Del Frisco's, Smith & Wollensky, etc) Those chains either have a sommelier on staff (in restaurant or for the entire company), or contract one for their in-restaurant wine list.

 

[Mac60]

I see your point. I live about 60 minutes from little Italy, NYC. There is a much higher standard.

Hey john next time you might want to try Arthur Ave in the Bronx for real Italian food, little Italy ain't what it used to be, not to mention it keeps getting smaller and China town is getting bigger.....
Cheers..
Mac

 

[Elizajean]

Most chain restaurants usually have a selection of extremely cheap low quality wine as a "house wine" and then a selection of popular brand wines at a higher price point. (Kendall Jackson, Clos du Buis, Chateau Ste. Michelle, J. Lohr, etc)

House wines are generally not that great in chain restaurants. The exception is when you go to high end chain restaurants. (Ruth Chris, Del Frisco's, Smith & Wollensky, etc) Those chains either have a sommelier on staff (in restaurant or for the entire company), or contract one for their in-restaurant wine list.

That's true. It's worth the couple of extra bucks to order a higher quality brand wine at those places. Life is too short to pay for, and drink, crappy house wine...even at chain restaurants.

 

[JohnT]

Hey john next time you might want to try Arthur Ave in the Bronx for real Italian food, little Italy ain't what it used to be, not to mention it keeps getting smaller and China town is getting bigger.....
Cheers..
Mac

A trip to Arthur Ave is on the list. To eat and (most importantly) to hit some of the old world grocery shops they have there.