Pinecrest

305-666-5979 For very old and very expensive Bordeaux, you can go to The Forge. For big names from Old World and New, visit Norman's or Mark's South Beach. For an eclectic and sophisticated inventory arranged by taste, try North One 10. In fact at any of South Florida's top restaurants you can expect to find a first-rate wine list, often with interesting geographic concentrations -- California, Europe, South America. But this year as last we must bestow our award on Bill "the Captain" Bowers, owner of Captain's Tavern. This 33-year-old fish shack is not the sort of place you'd expect to encounter a list offering more than 500 wines, much less at prices guaranteed to be lower than any other restaurant in the area. Simply put, Bowers loves wine, a passion he wants to share with his customers. Unlike nearly every other restaurant on the planet, the sale of wine at Captain's Tavern is not expected to be a principal revenue source. Historically Bowers has never charged more than twice wholesale price for any bottle, and the more expensive the wine, the less the markup. Plus he regularly features specials that are sometimes priced at or below his cost. Couple that with the freshest seafood in town and you have a winner. Again.

Readers´ Choice: The Forge