Sadly, it’s not clear that the owners have any interest in doing the hard work. You can find the first hint that The Whale is not all it claims to be on the first page of the menu. Open it up and you’ll come face to face with the “Champagnes & sparkling wine” section, but it should read “a single bottle of Champagne” list, since there’s only one real Champagne available, Veuve Clicquot, which you can order for $149. The rest of the offerings are sparkling wines like prosecco and lambrusco of the quality that you could find at any well-stocked grocery store. As for the rest of the wine list, don’t expect any help deciding what to order. When I asked my waitress for a wine suggestion to go with a steak, all she said was, “Well, we have red wine.”