I’m “ravenous”: The BMW Championship, Caves Valley, August 14-17, 2025
🏌️♂️ First Swig Coach Foray in Baltimore
As the FedEx noose tightens around the Nifty 50, they descend on Baltimore for the Constellation Classic at Caves Valley, It’s our first foray here and we’re not sure what we’ll find beyond crab cakes. Fortunately while the course may be out in Owings Mills, there’s some world class wine action downtown, and frankly, it far exceeded my expectations.
🍽️ Restaurants
Charleston’s wine list is a labor of love, and as clear an expression of the affinity between somm and chef as I’ve ever seen. The prodigious list of 1300+ wines is heavily annotated by the sommelier as if she were at the table with you to introduce the various wine regions of the world and to give you a “read,” which is especially helpful when she ties wines to specific menu options. It’s by necessity very generalized, but she gets an “A” for effort. Coverage is extensive with a nod perhaps to Champagne and Burgundy. I would quibble that some regions don’t get the love they deserve (Nebbiolo and Loire reds, for example), but that might be a nod to the cuisine. Selected producers like Dehlinger are heavily featured somewhat randomly, but sometimes these relationships run deep. Prices are high for name brand wines but many lower cost options exist. A winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for outstanding beverage program if you don’t believe me. Wine List.
Tagliata Do you remember the riveting playoff between Cantlay and Bryson at Caves Valley in 2021? That’s what you get if you try to compare the Tagliata list to Charleston’s. They are both epic. As an Italian steakhouse, Tagliata rules across the board in Italy and holds its own in most other categories except perhaps Burgundy. I didn’t actually do an audit but it seemed like there is more variety and interest here under $100, always appreciated. Wine List
Magdalena Well, it had to happen somewhere. Magdalena is a temple devoted to Robert Parker, a lifelong native of Monkton, MD, about a half hour from Caves Valley or Baltimore. There’s a gushing homage to Parker on the wine list, and I fully expected it to be clogged with alcoholic fruit bombs and the names that Parker glamorized, if not immortalized. That really isn’t the case at all with the possible exception of California cabs, although we can certainly understand how that might happen. This is in fact your destination for cab, referred to here as “Pioneering Houses,” but California and US coverage in general is outstanding. Excellent representation in other regions around the world including Bordeaux as you’d expect, and somehow not a La La in sight. It’s certainly more restrained and balanced than peak-Parker’s palate. Wine List
La Cuchara Here’s a Spanish/Basque-heavy list that punches way above its weight. Of course, if you have any predilection to drink Spanish wine, don’t hesitate-the entire country is beautifully represented. There are some mostly helpful regional headlines, but I admit they lost me on Beaujolais: “ IF PINOT NOIR IS WASHINGTON DC, GAMAY IS BALTIMORE.” Don’t overthink it, or why they have a relatively enormous selection of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Either the somm/owner loves it or believes it goes well with the food. In either case you’re in good company here. Wine List
Gunther & Co. For a more relaxed approach, Gunther and Co. has a small, well-curated list that isn’t afraid to take some chances. One of those might be a Vajra Barolo listed for $56, which is probably a typo. Wine List
🛍️ Retail Wine Stores in Baltimore
It’s no secret that Parker himself bought wines in nearby DC. If Baltimore has a flagship store, I couldn’t find it. There are potentially some interesting small specialty shops that don’t post inventory. I only found one store in the metro area that might be worth a trip.
Bin 604 Wine + Spirits 📍 Candidate for worst online buying experience anywhere, but with patience you can parse the inventory and determine some of what’s available here. Not impressive but hopefully there’s more than meets the eye.
