The Case for Cheaper Wine (Lists)

O rdering wine at a restaurant has never been cheap, but lately it has become genuinely alarming. A price point that once felt like a splurge has become the floor. The sticker shock is real. Which is why something shifts when the wine list arrives. Someone says, "I trust you," and suddenly you've been appointed the table's temporary fiduciary—a mission with vague parameters. You flip quickly, skimming for reassurance. You’re not looking for the best wine. You’re looking for the one that won't make the table go quiet when the bill comes. Above all, you’re trying not to be revealed: as unknowledgeable, as irresponsible, as someone who should not have been trusted.