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Magazine toasts area wine lists

It was only appropriate that this time Domenic Forlini reached deep into his cellar for a 1975 Barolo from Michele Chiarlo to pop open.

Forlini celebrated the elevation of Domenic's Capri on Clearwater Beach into the penultimate ranks of restaurants for wine lovers. Wine Spectator magazine has named Forlini's little beach restaurant with the wine barrel for a door as having one of the 600 best wine lists in the nation.

"It was great, really very, very good," Forlini said of the Barolo. "Too bad there was only one bottle." But there was a 1966 Chateau d'Yquem, which also joined the celebration.

This year's awards, printed in the Aug. 31 issue of the magazine, sparked celebrations elsewhere around Tampa Bay. The Columbia restaurant in Ybor City, where the Gonzmart family has built a sizable cellar of Spanish wines, was also elevated like Domenic's from the general ranks of restaurants with good wine lists to the "Best of" category.

The only other local restaurants ranked "Best of Award of Excellence" in the past and again this year are also in Clearwater: Bob Heilman's Beachcomber, known for its Burgundies, and Tio Pepe, with its strong Spanish selection.

The only nod higher is the Grand Award, won by a handful of wine-obsessed restaurants, including Bern's Steak House in Tampa.

Forlini, who grew up in the Marches region of northeastern Italy, is a longtime wine drinker. Though he is fond of Italian wines, he claims to love all wines, especially affordable bottles from California or France.

"Anybody can buy a good wine for $100. I get the most kick when it's a great wine and around $30," he says.

In the 23 years he has had a restaurant on Clearwater Beach, he has built up an inventory of 7,500 bottles representing 600 labels, carefully cooled to 58 degrees. They range in price from $20 to $500 or more for Petrus and other Bordeaux greats. They can be paired with house-made ravioli, tremezzini sandwiches, traditional red sauce pastas, thick steaks or whatever Forlini's regulars can talk him into.

In addition, Forlini's son, Paolo, an accountant, has opened a second restaurant nearby, Forlini's, which has access to the family cellar and has also been recognized by Wine Spectator.

The magazine's basic recognition, the Award of Excellence, has been criticized as being too easy to obtain, and some diners are disappointed that a fine wine list is not always accompanied by food of a similar caliber. But it still provides a valuable advertisement introducing restaurants to wine-focused readers.

Circles New Tampa Bistro was delighted to get an Award of Excellence this year, along with something much more rare: Its wine list was designated as inexpensive, the only one in the area.

Also given Awards of Excellence for the first time were Cafe Ponte in Clearwater and Dempsey's Steak House at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel.

However, if nominations to the Wine Spectator list are a sign of sophistication, other parts of Florida drink as well, if not better, than the Tampa Bay area.

Though most of the magazine's honorees are from South Florida, there were 28 around Tampa Bay (not counting the now-closed Profusion), 32 in the Orlando area, 39 in Sarasota and Naples, and 24 on the gulf coast from Pensacola to Panama Beach.

Wine-friendly restaurants are growing faster in other areas, too. Wine Spectator added three restaurants from Tampa and upgraded two others, but Sarasota-Naples had eight new and one upgrade; Orlando seven new and two upgrades; and the upper gulf coast four new and two upgrades.

Here are the Tampa Bay restaurants that made Wine Spectator's list of lists:

(88 winners, typically with 1,250 or more wines, wide selection, many vintages, rare bottles and excellent service).

Bern's Steak House, Tampa.

(608 winners with 400 or more wines from top vineyards in several regions and with choice of vintages).

Bob Heilman's Beachcomber, Clearwater

Columbia Restaurant, Tampa

Domenic's Capri Italian Restaurant, Clearwater Beach

Tio Pepe, Clearwater

(2,791 winners with at least 80 wines, well-chosen and matching food in style and price).

Alfano's Restaurant, Clearwater

Armani's, Tampa

Cafe Ponte, Clearwater

Circles New Tampa Bistro, Tampa

Fetishes Fine Dining, St. Pete Beach

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Tampa

Forlini's Ristorante & Bar, Clearwater

Il Terrazzo, Marriott Waterside, Tampa

Island Way Grill, Clearwater

Jackson's Bistro, Tampa

Kelly's For Just About Anything, Dunedin

The Maritana Grille, St. Pete Beach

The Melting Pot, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa

Oystercatcher's, Tampa

The Palm, Tampa

Roy's, Tampa

Rusty Pelican, Tampa

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Tampa

Salt Rock Grill, Indian Rocks Beach

SideBern's, Tampa

Six Tables, Tampa