THE WINE LIST

Southwestern cuisine calls for beer more than wine, so you might think the wine list at Kachina Grill would be just a token, something for people who don’t like beer.

The list includes more than 30 wines, but many are overpriced, for the same reason wines are overpriced elsewhere: formula pricing.

The formula here is about three times wholesale cost. Thus we have 1989 ZD Chardonnay, $42; 1990 Far Niente Chardonnay, $60; 1989 Chalone Chardonnay, $58; 1988 Clos du Val Merlot, $38, 1988 Stag’s Leap Cabernet, $38, and 1988 Jordan Cabernet, $45.

Aarrgh. Bring me a beer.

Alas, the food at Kachina isn’t heavily spiced, so perhaps wine is appropriate after all. In that case, here are the two I’d recommend: 1990 Ferrari-Carrano Fume Blanc, $21, and 1990 Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir, $20. Both are reasonably priced and work well with the food.

After that, you’re looking at beer.