The design and contents of our wine list are based on several important criteria:

Style of Cuisine: We prepare mostly contemporary fish and shellfish dishes, employing traditional French technique combined with South East Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean flavors. Due to this, our wine list is heavily weighted towards food friendly white wines such as Champagnes, sparkling wines and still wines with crisp acidity. We focus on quality German Rieslings, Alsatian and Loire Valley varieties, as well as white Burgundy to match with the richer dishes. While our main focus of red wines lie in the lighter varietals such as Pinot Noir, Gamay and Sangiovese, we have also collected a substantial amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to pair well with the stronger flavoured dishes such as New York steak and our selection of fine cheeses. We realize that these varietals are produced all over the world, however, with a limited budget and even more limited space, we made a decision to focus on France, North America and Germany in our establishment. The breakdown of the list is as follows: 65% white wines (including 185 sparkling and Champagne), 35% red wines and over 175 half bottles to choose from. To help in matching the Asian influence in some of our dishes, we have also compiled a considerable list of sakes to choose from. There are also never less than 30 wines by the glass available at C restaurant .

The accessibility of our list: We have decided to list our wines based on style and varietal rather than forcing the guests to read through unknown producers names and unnecessary wine jargon. We have also listed the wines in ascending price, which allows people quite simply to choose which varietal they would like and then find a price point that they are comfortable with. We find that our guests are more willing to experiment with a broader range of wines because the list provides them with an insight into the style of wine they are ordering. This also follows our philosophy that the concepts of food and wine should be thought of together and each individual guest must be given the opportunity to find the correct match with his or her dish.

Other Considerations: Our wine program would not succeed without several other important factors in place. Technical service and appropriate glassware is crucial to the complete fine dining experience. As a result, every one of our wines is served in fine crystal. We offer a complete range of Riedel glassware including two types of champagne flutes, an un-oaked young white wine glass, a larger white wine glass for fuller bodied, oaked or mature whites and two types of crystal "Burgundy" and "Bordeaux" shaped glasses for red and white wines. We also use crystal for our sake and dessert wines as well as for our fine eax-de-vie and single malt whiskies. Our staff is all well trained in the art of wine service. Several of our servers have completed certificate or higher certificate level training with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and in-house wine seminars are vitally important and take place regularly, conducted by visiting suppliers or by our in-house sommelier. All of our wines are stored at appropriate temperatures, humidity levels, on their side and in ideal lighting conditions.

Sara Bannerman
Sommelier