Hunan Taste

A Chinese restaurant in suburban New Jersey with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence — held since 2007 — is already a plot twist worth investigating. The list skews heavily California, which sounds limiting until you realize it's actually a pretty coherent philosophy for a room full of bold, spice-forward Hunan dishes. It's not trying to be a wine bar, but it's clearly trying harder than it needs to.

Somewhere between 50 and 80 bottles deep, this is a California-first list that leans on recognizable names rather than cult producers — think Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cab, Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay, and Meiomi Pinot Noir. There's nothing here that will make a wine geek weak in the knees, but the selection is coherent and the anchors are solid. Don't come looking for Burgundy, Riesling, or anything that would conventionally make sense with Chinese food — this list plays to its crowd. That said, a cold, high-acid white or a lighter red would serve this menu better, and that's a gap the list doesn't fully address.

Eight to twelve options by the glass is respectable for a neighborhood Chinese spot, and the BTG lineup mirrors the bottle list — California all the way down. Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay and Meiomi Pinot Noir are almost certainly anchoring the pour list, which keeps things approachable and crowd-friendly if not exactly adventurous. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority here, so don't expect seasonal surprises.