Wines at the Angus Barn

Ordering wine at the Angus Barn means being offered the choice of dozens of wines that are available by the glass as well as a virtual catalog of 1,100 selections available by the bottle in our wine list all representing a cellar that contains over 30,000 bottles. But there is much more to the wine program at the Angus Barn than a thick book and a basement full of vino. It also involves a very careful selection process that starts with the foundation of our offerings, the house wines and some fairly intensive training for our service staff. It’s all designed to cultivate our guests’ love of wine, from the guest who is just starting to enjoy its pleasures to the guest for whom it is a consuming passion.

The making of a great house wine

With all the variety that the Angus Barn offers, we know that for most people it all begins with the house wines. So we take great care in selecting our house wines. Our house Cabernet, Chardonnay and White Zinfandel are made by Wente Vineyards of Livermore, California.

Wente is a very well respected producer that would be a premium wine at most restaurants. But by offering them as our house wine, only the Wente Winery itself sells more Wente wines than Angus Barn. That kind of volume allows us to offer such exceptional quality in a house wine.

Custom-designed sparkling wines

To produce the house sparkling wine, members of the Angus Barn team travel with Henk Schuitemaker, the Wine and Beverage Director, to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina to personally consult in the making of a special bubbly for our guests. In concert with the Biltmore’s master winemaker, Bernard DeLille, we select the “dosage,” the last step in producing a quality sparkling wine. The dosage is a blend of wine with a tad of sugar and a touch of brandy that gives each bottling it’s own special character. The dosage we chose is used in the Biltmore/ Angus Barn version and is unique from that used in the Biltmore sparkling wine found in fine wine shops.

We have been proud to produce 5 special blends with the Biltmore Estate. Each has been dedicated to a special member of the Angus Barn family. The first three were in memory of Thad Eure, Jr., Thad Eure, Sr., and Alice Eure, respectively. The last two were in honor of Rose Beach and Mel Simpson (until recently, our Biltmore/Angus Barn sparkling wine was the only wine that was exclusive only to the Angus Barn).

Our late owner, Alice Eure, was passionate about maintaining the highest levels of style and quality at the Angus Barn. When it came to wine, she was particularly fond of Chardonnay, and, as in all things, she had definite tastes. She wanted a house Chardonnay that reflected what she felt a great Chardonnay should be.

She worked with the Guenoc Winery in California to achieve that ultimate wine. The Guenoc Winery is quite prestigious. They are one of only a handful of wineries that own an entire appellation (a distinct wine growing region recognized by the government), and they are a founding member of the Meritage Society, a distinguished group of vintners. They were happy to work with Alice on this special project. Unfortunately, making wine is a time-consuming project. While the wine was in the aging process, Alice met an untimely death. When the wine finally arrived, it was observed that the style of the Chardonnay was thoroughly elegant and absolutely unique, much like Alice Eure herself. There was no other choice but to name the great wine after the great lady, so we proudly offered it as “Alice’s Cuvee.”

The Angus Barn’s commitment to fine wines throughout its 40 year history has given it an honorable place in the wine industry. Looking back to the seventies, we gave a struggling new winemaker a break. We were one of the first restaurants east of the Mississippi to sell his wines. We even made them our house wine. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. His name is Robert Mondavi. To this day, the Mondavi Winery remembers us with special allotments of their highly-prized wines. We continue to seek out the new and special, whether it be winemakers, new varietals or blends of grapes, or up and coming wine growing regions.

To help our guests with the astounding and ever changing variety of wine, we have a professionally trained staff. Training for the Angus Barn servers begins with 10 hours of classroom work. Every server is schooled in how wine is made, how to taste wine and the fundamentals of red, white, fortified and sparkling wines. Every server is shown the proper way to open the bottles of wine or sparkling wine and how to decant them—then they must demonstrate their own proficiency. Sometimes they have been through the process dozens of times before they are deemed ready for our guests.

And yet, when it is done, many servers express a desire to repeat their course work. To some extent, this is just a sign of the dedication that is the hallmark of any Angus Barn server. However, one shouldn’t completely rule out the fact that those 10 hours of classwork also involve tasting wine, and a fair amount at that! Hmmm, perhaps now would be a good time to point out that a very important part of the classroom training involves teaching our servers how to serve it responsibly! It is always our goal to make sure that wine and all of the alcoholic beverages we offer are consumed without allowing any of the harmful consequences of intoxication!

A server’s training doesn’t end there. In fact, at the Angus Barn, the training never ends. Because with wine, as with all aspects of service, we try to get better each and every day. So each month, seminars are held that every server attends. At the seminars, we cover the fundamentals of wine tasting as well as specific wine growing regions or type of grapes. Many of the classes are conducted by members of the Angus Barn management or even interested members of the staff. Winemakers and experts from around the world are also invited in to give presentations to the staff as well. Hardly a week goes by where a staff member isn’t introduced to at least one new wine. And, as always, all the additional training involves tasting the wine.

So, please enjoy! On our list you will find old favorites, hidden treasures and rare gems. Peruse our list and go on a tour before you dine. And if nothing specific strikes your fancy, then ask your server what he or she would recommend. We have our favorites and we also know what wines are
currently “hot” with our guests. Also, we never forget that the thick book and the basement full of vino and, indeed, the entire Angus Barn, are here for your enjoyment.

The Angus Barn Wine List

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