THE WINE LIST

Are the Chiantis from the (very good) 1988 vintage or the (rather disappointing) 1989 vintage? Il Giardino’s list doesn’t say, which is a surprise. Rarely does a fine restaurant neglect to give vintages these days, especially when laser printers make it easy to update a list.

Worse yet, Il Giardino’s prices are double the suggested retail prices. Most of the eight California red wines are too steep to consider, so you’re left with Italian red wines, only two of which are priced under $30.

OK, I admit that there are vintage dates on some wines--19 super-premium Italian reds, 1978 Brunello di Montalcino from Biondi-Santi, 1985 Sassicaia and the like. However, no prices are listed here. A new list, however, with all prices, should be available this month.