Even the Bible recognizes the glories of wine: "Go, eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine in joy, for your action was long ago approved by God ..." -- Ecclesiastes 9:7.10.

We also know from the Bible that Noah planted a vineyard and made wine. But archaeological evidence of wine making goes back to the Neolithic period (8500-4000 B.C.) in Iran. Wine making was a thriving industry in the Nile Delta in the Early Bronze Age (2700 B.C.). The royal tombs of Egypt from that period had wine jars that contained the beverage for the afterlife as well as scenes of wine making painted on the tomb walls. Egyptians of that period developed the first arbors for training pruned vines. In those ancient cultures, wine was reserved for royalty and beer was the alcoholic beverage for the average man.

Today, the pleasures of wine are accessible to all. With wines being produced on a wide swath of the Earth, from Texas to China, the diversity of grape varieties and wine styles can be overwhelming. Perhaps the best way to navigate the wine ocean and find wines that suit one's taste is to frequent a wine bar. Whether a bistro a vin in Paris, an enoteca in Rome, a heurigen in Vienna or a Pittsburgh wine bar, these venues provide an excellent environment for tasting explorations into unfamiliar wine territory.

Stand-alone wine bars are rare. More common are restaurants that offer a significant number of wines by the glass along with a menu of wine-friendly appetizers. There are a number of these in our city, but a few stand out for the selections they offer, the knowledge of the staff, the quality of the wine glasses and foods that are designed to match the wines. Anyone who enjoys wine and likes the opportunity to experiment and to try new ones will appreciate the wine bar experience.

PRELUDE WINE BAR
Renaissance Hotel
107 Sixth St., Downtown
412-992-2005

Prelude Wine Bar, Pittsburgh's only stand-alone bar, is a cozy hideaway under the domed ceiling of the elegant Renaissance Hotel lobby. Philip Real, Prelude's wine director, is behind the bar to answer all questions about any bottle on his eclectic list. Real is an integral part of the wine experience at Prelude. He knows the grape varieties in each bottle and the wine philosophy of each wine maker and can tell you what any region's climate was in a given vintage year. Wines on his list hail from Europe, North and South America, Australia and South Africa.

	Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette Philip Real, the knowledgeable wine director at the Renaissance Hotel's Prelude Wine Bar, will answer any questions customers may have about offerings on the bar's list. Click photo for larger image.

The bar consists of six stools plus tables for four in the lounge area. On my visits, most stools were occupied and there was lots of conversation among strangers, all about wine. I took a chance on a Chilean Riesling ($9) that I never would have thought of selecting in a wine shop. But after the first sip, I couldn't wait to stock up on Cousino Macul Dona Isidora Riesling, 2005. The bottle cost $8.99 at my local Wine and Spirits store. I expected to pay twice that. This is a dynamite wine.

The bar menu offers a Cheese for One ($7) that has both eye and taste appeal with an arrangement of Explorateur Triple Creme, Irish Porter Cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano garnished with Balsamic reduction, fresh fruit, bittersweet chocolate and glazed pecans. The Opus Restaurant, also in the Renaissance Hotel, can serve items from its menu at the bar. Pan-Seared Scallops ($12) with Saffron Polenta and Sun-Dried Date Demi Glaze from that menu were overcooked and rubbery. I should have ordered the Peeky Toe Crab Cakes ($12) instead. The bread basket contains an assortment of Mediterra Bakehouse products.

The Renaissance offers free valet parking. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. Smoke free. A 6-ounce pour: $6 to $24.

CAFE ZAO
649 Penn Ave., Downtown
412-325-7007

Around the corner from the Renaissance Hotel is Cafe Zao, where chef/owner Toni Pais has designed a wine list that is primarily of Portuguese wines. Pais, a native of Portugal, grew up on a farm in the Dao region, where his family grew grapes and made wine. Port wines once were the only high-quality beverage exported from that country, but after Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, wine-making techniques changed and fine table wines are now winning recognition around the world. Although well known in Europe, these wines are hard to find in Pennsylvania.

Cafe Zao offers a unique opportunity to taste some delightful wines made from grapes that are largely unknown to Pennsylvania wine drinkers. I was blown away by the clean, yeasty-citrus aroma of Luis Pato's sparkling wine ($7). Pato is Portugal's Robert Mondavi, an innovator and locomotive for the revolution in Portuguese wines in the past 20 years. Another charmer is Gatao Vinho Verde ($6). This light, refreshing and ever so slightly effervescent white wine should be drunk young, when its tart acidity is at its peak. Don't miss Esporao Reserva from the Alentejo region ($9.50). This blend of four native Portuguese grapes produces a rich and complex red.

Cafe Zao has one of the prettiest restaurant interiors in Pittsburgh. The menu features the cuisine of Portugal and all her colonies. A number of appetizers pair magnificently with wine. Pan-roasted quail, with risotto and a creamy cremini mushroom sauce ($9.25), is a perfect match for one of the Portuguese reds. Or try the Zao Timbale ($8.50), a pretty and tasty combination of crabmeat, avocado, mango and tobiko (fish eggs) with the vinho verde or the sparkling wine. There are also cheese platters available -- $6.95 for three domestic cheeses and $8.95 for the imported assortment. Cheeses are served with assorted fresh fruits, oven-roasted tomatoes and olives.

For questions about the wines, it is best to speak with Pais or John Cinquegrane.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; dinner: 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 4-10 p.m. Sundays. Smoke free. A 6-ounce pour: $6 to $9.50.

SONOMA GRILLE
947 Penn Ave., Downtown
412-697-1336

Sonoma Grille, also on Penn Avenue, Downtown, is a one-stop-shop for the California wine-lover. The wine list of 250 American wines is primarily an homage to West Coast wineries.

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Uri Marcovitz, owner of Sonoma Grille, where he is also sommelier, offers 250 American wines. He holds Quilceda Creek Cabernet. Click photo for larger image.

Sommelier and owner Uri Marcovitz has selected 105 wines for his "by the glass" program. You can choose a glass of Sycamore Lane 2004 chardonnay for $6 or Kistler 2003 chardonnay from Sonoma for $32.

For the best wine experience, I suggest sitting at the bar, where you can talk about wine with the well-trained staff. Frequently the server will pour small tastes of wines you did not order but that he thinks, based on what you did order, you might like. When I ordered a Dolcetto from Napa ($12), the server offered me a taste of another indigenous Italian grape grown in California, a Barbera from Amador County.

The bar menu is extensive. From 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, all items are half-price. They are served with an assortment of Mediterra Bakehouse breads. This has to be the best deal in town. Serrano Wrapped Diver Scallops ($9) are magnificent jumbo scallops, served with wilted baby spinach and a papaya glaze. The Farmstead Cheese Plate ($6), a selection of three hand-crafted cheeses, comes with fresh fruit and is especially nice for accompanying wine. The cheeses can change but there normally will be a chevre, a blue and a hard, cow's milk cheese. Minted Crabcake ($5) is made from jumbo lump crab meat and served with grilled asparagus and mango beurre blanc.

There also are burgers, sandwiches and soups. It is best to skip salads when tasting wine, as vinegar in the dressings tends to kill many wine tastes.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Smoking allowed. A 6-ounce pour: $6 to $33.

ELEVEN
1150 Smallman St., Strip District
412-201-5656

Eleven is another restaurant with a large wine list and many wines available by the glass. Of the 275 wines on Eleven's list, 75 percent are from North and South America or Australia. Wine Director Joban Johnson is a professional sommelier who updates the list monthly and constantly changes the list of 40 wines available by the glass. All personnel of Eleven are required to complete a 20-week course in general wine knowledge and to attend frequent tastings to acquaint themselves with wines on Eleven's list.

Eleven has five lounge tables with overstuffed chairs in addition to 16 bar stools. The bar has two TV screens for sports fans and a special Tavern Menu. The tavern Lobster Sandwich ($16) has become a signature dish. The corn roll is piled high with lobster salad, topped with two slices of smoky bacon and finished off with a heap of fries. This delicious combo was made even better by a glass of Marques de Gelida Cava ($8), a sparkler from Spain.

Appetizers from Eleven's menu provide a wealth of wine-friendly dishes. A half-dozen oysters on the half shell ($11) were enjoyed with a glass of Manni Nossing Veltliner ($13) from Italy. Gruner veltliner produces a tart wine packed with citrus flavors and spicy aromas of white pepper, which is a perfect partner for raw shellfish. This is the first time I have found this grape variety on a wine list in Pittsburgh.

Beef Carpaccio ($9) is a good match for a California Pinot Noir ($9). Eleven's house-baked breads are served with all orders.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; dinner: 5-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 5-9 p.m. Sundays. Smoke free. A 6-ounce pour: $6 to $21.

CASBAH
229 Highland Ave., Shadyside
412-661-5656

Casbah restaurant in Shadyside has long been a destination for wine-loving diners. Casbah has an attractive wine list of 235 bottles with 34 wines served by the glass. The staff are exposed to wine tastings and general wine knowledge classes. In addition to 13 stools at the bar, the lounge area has eight tables with banquettes and chairs.

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Casbah restaurant, Shadyside, has long been a destination for wine lovers. Wine director Sean Enright pours for General Manager Jennifer Fisher, center, and bartender John Colombo. Click photo for larger image.

Casbah's cheese tasting is the best in town. From a list of seven domestic and imported cheeses, customers can choose any three for $9 or five for $12. For $15, the plate will contain all seven cheeses. Two ounces of each cheese are served with quince paste and a wedge of house-made fig tart. The bread is a chewy, sour dough baguette. These cheeses pair well with almost any white or red wine, but I chose the Sauvion Vouvray ($9) from the Loire region of France. Made from the chenin blanc grape variety, it is especially suited to cheese.

Other wonderful wine-friendly appetizers include Smoked Salmon ($10) with truffled potato cake and Couscous crusted sea scallops ($10). Both of these dishes would marry well with the St. Veran ($10), a chardonnay that hails from Burgundy, in France.

I love the fact that Casbah serves so many less common grape varieties by the glass. There is verdicchio from Italy, folle blanche from the Languedoc region of Southern France, gewurtztraminer from Alsace, France, tempranillo from Spain, and a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre from the Cote du Rhone. In addition, Casbah offers 10 flights, each consisting of three different but related wines. There is a total of 6 ounces in each flight, and they range from $9 to $12. They even offer two flights of ports ($14)! And don't miss the long list of dessert wines they pour by the glass.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; brunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays; dinner: 5-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Smoking allowed. A 6-ounce pour: $6 to $15.

IL PIZZAIOLO
703 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon
412-344-4123

The latest addition to the wine bar scene in Pittsburgh is Il Pizzaiolo. Owner Ron Molinaro converted an outbuilding in the garden into a true enoteca with six stools at the bar and a pair of leather chairs in front of a fireplace. There is an adjacent room with tables and chairs to accommodate traditional dining styles. The wine list of 100 wines is 100 percent Italian to complement the Italian menu of pizza and pasta. There are 37 wines available by the glass and 11 flights of three wines each. The flights are based on regions of Italy and offer a fabulous opportunity to compare different grapes grown in the same region.

The antipasto menu has two plates that are particularly well suited to pair with wine. Formaggi ($15) is a cheese platter with seven Italian cheeses served with fruit, chestnut honey and fruit-flavored mustard. The Affetati ($15) is another option. This plate contains several slices of prosciutto di parma, prosciutto cotto, speck, culatello, sopressata, bresaola, salami and mortadella and is served with sliced apple, arugula leaves and fig preserves. Unfortunately, the bread served with these plates is lacking in flavor and texture.

I was charmed by a Vermentino ($8) from Sardegna. This white grape produces a tart wine with lots of herb aromas such as sage and mint. Another interesting and unusual white is made from the falanghina grape ($8) grown in Campania (Southern Italy). It makes a light wine frequently compared to pinot grigio.

From the list of red wines, the choices are awesome. I decided to go with a flight of three wines from the Piedmont region ($18) made from three different grapes -- barbera, dolcetto and barolo. These complex and rich reds were a delicious match for both the cheese and meat platters.

You should not expect to get much help on selecting the wines here as the staff have had very little wine training.

Daily from 5 p.m. No smoking.