Of course when I go to a restaurant I’m hyper-tuned to pluses and minuses of the wine list. But how much weight should wine carry in the total assessment of a restaurant? What can we learn about the restaurant as a whole based on its beverage service? I am fortunate to have met Hanna Raskin, currently the Food Writer and Critic for the Charleston (SC) Post and Courier, when she was living and working in Seattle. She was kind enough to join me on the Wine Without Worry podcast and give her thoughts on what role wine plays in the work of a professional food critic. What else do we talk about?

• Collecting sommelier baseball cards.
• How does the food scene in Charleston differ from Seattle?
• Egg nog tasting in the heat.
• The importance of rice in Charleston.
• Madeira drinking.
• Yelp Help. It’s a book Hanna wrote to help people write more thoughtfully about food and restaurants on Yelp. It’s also a great resource for anyone aspiring to write about food (or wine) professionally.
• What does it mean when a wine is described as having “minerality”? Do geologists like to drink minerally wine? Should I organize a minerally wine tasting for geologists?
• Pitfalls and pointers when it comes to Yelping about a restaurant.
• Strategies on getting the best wine by the glass when you’re dining out.
• Are there hidden wine gems at TGI Fridays?
• If I could teleport a dish from Seattle to Charleston, what would be Hanna’s first choice?

Get all the details on Wine Without Worry Episode 27: How Much Does Wine Matter in a Restaurant Review?

Read Hanna’s take on our conversation in The Post and Courier.

Restaurant photo courtesy besopha.

Tags: charleston sc restaurants, dining in charleston sc, hanna raskin, wine in restaurants, Wine Without Worry