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70 bottles of vino start at $22 to pair with  hand-cut hickory and applewood fire grilled steak choices 

Naples, FL: (November 10, 2022) . . . Skip Quillen, chef /founder of Culinary Concepts restaurant group, pays as much attention to the selection of wine as he does to the food.

In fact, experiencing a great wine that makes one happy is more lined-up with Quillen’s vision of wine as a portion of cuisine, rather than an abstracted alcohol.

“When we say we have the best prices for food and wine, we mean it,” says Quillen, unveiling both new selections and exclusive pricing on bottles of wine at The Saloon American Craft restaurant in Estero’s Coconut Point Shopping Center, effective immediately. “We’re offering 50% off retail prices on all bottles of our selection of wine from California, France, Italy and all over the world,” he says, adding that there are quite a few fantastic buys like the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon for $181 specially priced and now available for $90.50.

“The only requirement is you must be a member of our Wine, Dine & Whiskey Club, but it’s easy to join and there are no fees, no commitments or minimums. No strings attached,” he says. Visit https://www.gr8food.net/the-club-card/, download The Club Card app onto your phone and sign up…the entire process takes less than a minute.  For every dollar spent, active members earn points towards cash back based upon annual spending. Membership has four service levels and at every level the return rate on dollars spent increases from the starter Insider level to the top tier Black level. On the redemption side, it takes only 500 points for a $25 reward.

There are more than 70 world-class wines at The Saloon including Old World and New World gems and a few little-known labels on the brink of stardom. The wine list contains a mixture of bottles from large wineries and some from boutique operations including four types of bubbles, chardonnay, French Chablis, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, chianti classico, petite sirah and zinfandel.

“Our food menu is fairly straightforward, so having a wine list with a few options, but not too many, makes things easier for guests,” says Quillen. “We have something to pair with every dish and something for every taste, but we don’t overwhelm with choices,” he adds.

Big wine lists, Quillen believes can be intimidating—with the size, the pricing, the wording. He also likes being able to introduce guests to wines that they may never try and being able to offer more obscure wines.

Thinking about a style of wine to try? Quillen suggests thinking in terms of now and then, choosing either a new nice, fresh and bright, higher acid wine from the cooler climates of the Old World (France and Italy) or a lusher riper style with higher alcohol from the New World in a warmer climate region like California.

Open in December 2017, The Saloon is a casual yet sophisticated restaurant serving authentic American cuisine and award-winning craft cocktails. The interior architectural design features the darker browns of the Old West. The pièce de résistance is its 40-foot-long wooden counter bar with brass rail running along the bottom where patrons rest their feet and gather a crowd of both locals and tourists.

“The Saloon is truly one of the most beautiful restaurants in Southwest Florida,” believes Quillen. “I’m convinced that after just one dinner at The Saloon enjoying hand-cut steak choices cooked over a hickory and applewood fire grill, paired with great wine and superior table service will convince diners to come back again and again.

“Our acclaimed dry aged steaks and fresh seafood deserve nothing less than to be paired with great wine. And neither do you.”