Ohio Restaurant Makes Elite Wine Enthusiast List

Diners who want a truly fine glass or bottle of wine with their meal — we’re not judging! — don’t want to fly blind and take a chance on a disappointing pour. Wine Enthusiast magazine just published a useful guide that profiles the great wine restaurants in 38 states and Puerto Rico, including Ohio.

The magazine compiles the list of the 100 best wine restaurants every year, looking for “eateries that incorporate wine in thoughtful and exciting ways.”

The restaurants aren’t arranged according to preference, as a ranking would be, and there’s no matrix for the number of bottles of wine on hand, prices or the types of food the restaurant serves.

“Instead,” Wine Enthusiast wrote, “it is a selection of restaurants where wine is shared and celebrated, and where, in our experiences, the selection, food, service and atmosphere are all exceptional.”

The 100 best wine restaurants are found in the following states and Puerto Rico: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

In Ohio, one restaurant made the cut.

Veritas, 11 W Gay St, Columbus

Why Wine Experience loves it: “I think that there’s never been a more exciting time to be a wine drinker. There are amazing wines being made everywhere, from Arizona to Lebanon to Grska Brda. And even better, people are more excited than ever to try them! It used to be that people were slaves to specific brands, specific grapes, and specific regions. Now people just want one question answered: ‘Is it delicious?’”

Read the complete list.