What is the modern, post-recession wine list?

The modern, post-recession wine list combines quality and value; it is interesting, thought provoking, unpretentious and fun. It is not different for the sake of being different. It has unique, often lesser known selections that are a reflection of the author’s thoughtfulness and knowledge. It reflects a desire to seek out wines that overdeliver in their quality-to-price ratio (whether at $35 or $135), as opposed to being satisfied with the familiar, because value does not often exist in well-known, commercially-produced wines. (Gurvinder Bhatia)

The days of huge wine cellars filled with all the "name check" classics are behind us. With bring-your-own wine becoming more popular and restaurants realizing that people are too smart to pay stupid mark-ups, the smart places are choosing instead to feature a rotating selection of good value, well-chosen and preferably unpredictable wines by-the-glass. (Craig Pinhey)

The best wine lists out there today offer something to both the next-generation wine drinker and the old guard wine connoisseur — accessibility and great value for the former without compromising integrity and depth of selection for the latter. (Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson)

The post modern wine list does not demand “look-at-me,” with bulging pages of trophy wines. It says look at what we can show you about where you are — the style of the cuisine, the restaurant, the city and even the region. (David Lawrason)

Overpriced wine lists are as current as pagers and fax machines, justified by slim margins in the restaurant business. In reality, exaggerated margins simply compensate for a mismanaged operation. We’re no fools. We know value. Just give us authentic wines that reflect their origins, overdeliver on value and taste bloody good. (John Szabo)

Post-recession wine lists are becoming more adventurous by including less familiar grapes and a wider selection of regions, often at inexpensive prices. Since the buying was smart, such wines should contribute to enhanced profit for the restaurant, and hopefully to a larger tip for the wine service team. If done right, most customers will be pleased to have found a new wine and will reward those who helped. (Steve Thurlow)

Avarice is wildly out of fashion these days, and so is poncy, manipulated food. This is graphically reflected in the number of restaurant reincarnations and whittled wine lists across the country. Entirely welcome and entirely appropriate. (DJ Kearney)