Let’s establish one thing up-front: It’s hard to create a good restaurant wine list. Sommeliers and beverage directors have to navigate subjective tastes, razor-thin profit margins and the Talmudic complexities of the three-tier system of alcohol distribution in the United States.

Which is all the more reason to appreciate how a thoughtful wine list can improve your entire restaurant experience. When there’s something great in your glass, the food tastes better, the lighting seems more flattering, and you might even learn of a new-to-you wine region, style or producer you wouldn’t have encountered on your own.

Whether you’re paging through a leatherbound tome in a white-tablecloth restaurant or squinting at a chalkboard in a buzzy wine bar, it’s helpful to know what to look for — and the

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