best wine list in Austin tx?

WINE TALK
1

any opinions?

thanks

2

bufalina

3

Not an austinite so I can’t say which is the “best” but +1 for Bufalina having a great wine list which goes perfectly with their food, also excellent. Had a Cornelison the last time I was there, perfect pizza wine.

4

Jeffrey’s has an impressive list but much of it is frighteningly expensive: https://jeffreysofaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Jeffs_Wine.pdf

But some relative values lurking here and there.

5

Everything at Jeffrey’s is frighteningly expensive. [wow.gif]

6

What do you mean? The bone-in ribeye is only $136! Gotta keep pace with Austin’s stupid housing prices…

7

Wow…I think that Giscours might win the prize for most marked up bottle I’ve ever seen!

8

Wink

9

Another vote for Bufalina here. The owner is a long-time friend of mine and someone whose passion and knowledge of wine is deep and sincere. The electic nature of many of the selections is the result of a search for genuinely interesting wines off the beaten path. And then of course there are here and there some well-known and very hard to find gems available.

To put it another way- perusing the Bufalina wine list is like visiting Chambers Street Wines in NYC. It is that well curated.

10

Again, look at they sommelier-hate towards Zinfandel. This is how every US fine dining wine list looks - Pinots, Cabs, Chards up the wazoo, but at best one or two Zins. Often none.

11

I did not see values. I saw some appropriate mark ups for young wines which I personally would have no interest in drinking, and some really stupid ones for wines with age. How do you arrive at $900 for the Clerc Milon 2007? Slightly worse is baby brother d’Armaillhac for the same price. They should be around $200

The list is as you say very good and interesting. Sadly, I saw nothing though that would tempt me to drink anything but iced tea.

12

I’m guessing only fancy dual-income high-flying Texas lawyers can afford this joint! You and Kane prolly eat there weekly. On expense accounts. [berserker.gif]

1 Like
13

That Bufalina list is pretty bad ass. Wish I had time to visit last time we were in town.

14

FWIW, if you dine at Jeffrey’s on Sunday, their wines are 50% off.

1 Like
15

There used to be an Italian restaurant near Dripping Springs that had a great wine list and even their own winery (though, those, were not very good)

16

It’s been Bufalina for years.

Prior to Covid, they had the best “happy hour” in the country (4-6 pm daily), when all wine under $100 was half-priced, and all pizza was half-priced. You could literally have a pizza and a great bottle of wine for $40, but their NON-pizza items are so damn good, I often wound up with TWO bottles, some burrata, an order of gnocchi (ricottoa gnocchi with lamb or rabbit ragu) AND a pizza…It’s is extraordinarily rare for a Neopolitan pizza place to have such good food beyond the pizza itself, as most of the time the appetizers and salads are usually an afterthought at these places, with the emphasis entirely on the pizza…

During happy hour, I would gladly argue that Bufalina is among the best overall restaurants in the country, taking into account pricing, wine selection, overall food quality, and the general “comfort vibe” of the place. Unfortunately, they closed the East Austin location and discontinued the Happy Hour due to Covid…not sure, but it’s quite possible that maybe they’re restored happy hour at this point, but I miss the East Austin location…Supposedly they’re looking at reopening in a new location.

Enoteca Vespaia has always had a pretty decent wine list (and a great somm as well). I once got an “off winelist” bottle of Clos Rougeard “Breze” (Blanc) for something outrageously cheap…I think $120. The food is consistently “very good”, occasionally outstanding, but arguably a bit old-school in style.

I never considered going to Jeffrey’s…took one look at their wine list and menu, and thought “not for me”.

1 Like
17

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Nice to see Bufalina pop up in this thread and not ‘worst restaurant experiences.’ John, we resumed happy hour a few weeks ago at our Burnet location, and we’re mid-construction on our new East Austin spot. I’m smart enough not to project an opening date, but construction has been moving along.

I don’t go to Jeffrey’s very often but I did pop in last Sunday… depending on what you like to drink, there are some fun bottles at 50% off…

1 Like
18

You are a funny guy, my friend . . .

19

There are some wines that would make sense if you went on a Sunday. Otherwise those prices are PAINFUL.

20

Only about a mile from the state Capitol. You know what kind of money hangs out in that area.