Chicago's Bin 36: "Everybody's Wine Journey Begins Somewhere"

by Kevin Coupe

Brian Duncan believes that there's only way to learn about wine.

Drink it.

Duncan, the wine director and co-owner of the terrific and highly popular Bin 36 restaurant and wine bar in Chicago, says that when he buys wine, either for his restaurant's wine cellar or his own personal consumption, says that one of his goals is to demystify the wine experience and make it accessible to his patrons.

"You shouldn't have to be a tailor in order to have your suit altered," he says. "You shouldn’t have to be a wine expert in order to enjoy a glass of wine. We just think it is inhospitable to keep secrets from our guests, so we provide explanations for everything so people have some idea of what they are going to taste."

One of Bin 36's unique conceits was to create a menu in which there are simple numeric references to different wines that it carries. So, for example, if you order Curry Linguini with fresh Australian prawns, cauliflower, and tarragon shellfish oil, you can easily see that either a 2002 Viognier from the Miner Family Vineyards or a 2001 Gewurztraminer from Gustave Lorentz would be appropriate. (Of course, patrons are encouraged to choose something else if they prefer.)

In addition, Bin 36 offers a number of "flights" that diners can order, groupings of wine that fit into a variety of categories - Italian Whites that are notable for the "purity and clarity of the flavors," for example, or Pinot Noirs with an "amazing array of sensuous aromas and complex flavors," or Sexy Reds that all share "smooth texture" and "voluptuous mouth feel." People can order a flight of 2.5 oz. glasses, compare them, and even make notes if they so choose. Or they can just drink and enjoy.

"Look, we opened Bin 36 because we couldn't find a place like it," Duncan says. "Some people who sell wine believe that their responsibility ends at the purchase." Bin 36 takes a different approach, maintaining that it has responsibility for the entire wine drinking experience.

That experience can extend into the home. Bin 36 sells wines by the bottle, by the case, and also peddles glassware, corkscrews and assorted other accessories.

"My goal is to make wine an everyday beverage option at every American's table," Duncan says, and he notes that it is perfectly fine that some people know less about wine than others. "Everybody's wine journey begins somewhere," he says, admitting that when he started drinking wine, it was Lambrusco in college. His tastes have improved, but he understands that some people start with simple, inexpensive wines, and he's willing to provide them. "I just want to be there when they 'taste up.'" The best thing that can happen to the wine business is when people drink a nine dollar bottle of wine and think it tastes more expensive; he says it shows that they are gaining a certain sophistication about the product.

The national mania about Two Buck Chuck - inexpensive wine that sells for $1.99 a bottle at Trader Joe's - actually has been good for the wine business, he says. "I'd be stupid to beat up on a phenomenon that actually has been anti-elitism, and that has gotten people saying the word 'wine.'" In addition, he says, he hasn’t seen much in the way of anti-French sentiment, even though there has been a lot of publicity about how Americans have been avoiding French wines in view of the dispute that the US had with France over the war in Iraq.

"It didn't have a profound impact on us," he says. 'There was even another backlash, in which people were ordering French wine" just because of the supposed boycott. "A lot of it was disingenuous because people who were calling for the boycott weren't partaking of the product anyway."

Chicago is a terrific place for wine drinkers, Duncan says, because it doesn't have the bias toward imports often seen on the east coast, nor the bias toward west coast wines often seen there. "Because we sit in the middle, people are willing to try anything," he says.

Bin 36's approach to life and business is "drink wine, live well, have fun," Duncan says, and he passionately believes that the role of food and wine is to bring people together. "This isn’t so much a marketing idea as a social-cultural idea." If people can enjoy wine together, "they'll be nicer to each other. It creates a culture of sharing."

So, what are Duncan's favorite wines at this particular moment?