Dazzled by the variety and quality of craft beers and distracted by the precision of a new generation of smart cocktails, I almost forgot about wine.

How silly. The food-friendliness of wines — among their other attributes — makes them a natural with dinner, and a pleasure any time.

Tap systems for wine at more restaurants and wine bars give customers access to a wider variety of wines by the glass, and the tap system keeps them fresh. But there still are advantages to trying wines by the bottle, and the discount-bottle nights at some restaurants — which get customers in the door but also offer as much as 50% off the price — make the prices easier to swallow.

Pizza Man on the east side launched its first discount night just two weeks ago.

Sarah Baker, the restaurant and wine bar's general manager, said offering bottles at half price might allow people to taste the difference between their usual $30 bottle of wine and the $90 bottle they wouldn't typically spring for.

Wine by the bottle generally will be of better quality than what's found by the glass, she said. Many restaurants will hesitate to open more expensive bottles for glass pours because there's no telling whether it will all be sold before the quality deteriorates.

Consumers buying wine by the bottle that's opened in front of them can be sure the wine is as fresh as it's going to be, Baker said.

And Wisconsin's cork-and-carry law, which allows guests to take home unfinished bottles of wine, means guests don't have to fret about either over-imbibing by finishing a bottle, or leaving the rest behind, Baker noted. "It's interesting to see how wine will change over a couple of days, from the first sip to the last," she said.

On those discount nights, Stephen Landish, the wine and spirits buyer for Balzac Wine Bar off Brady St., will see a table of guests ordering a bottle to share instead of their usual by-the-glass orders, and it's a chance for friends to compare notes on the same wine.

And he observes that going out on quieter discount nights rather than a busy Friday or Saturday can mean a better experience with service. "There's a reason we in the service industry go out on Wednesday and Sunday," he said.

Here's a sampling of places offering discounted bottles, by day of the week. Not every restaurant offers bottle discounts, but this list is by no means exhaustive — keep your eyes open for deals.

SUNDAY

Balzac: Half off bottles $60 and less. 1716 N. Arlington Place. (414) 755-0099.

Mason Street Grill: Select bottles discounted, usually a selection of eight. A wine club in the works is to debut in early summer. 425 E. Mason St. (414) 298-3131.

Hue Vietnamese Restaurant: Half off bottles on the by-the-glass list. 2691 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. (414) 294-0483.

MONDAY

Pizza Man: Half off all bottles; after the newly formatted wine list comes out in about two weeks, a reserve list will be discounted but not necessarily at 50%. Other bottles still will be half off. Wine classes to start soon. 2597 N. Downer Ave. (414) 272-1745.

La Merenda: Half off all bottles. 125 E. National Ave. (414) 389-0125.

Seven Seas: All bottles 40% off. Wine socials guided by professionals on the first Monday of the month start April 7. 1807 Nagawicka Road, Hartland. (262) 367-3903.

Ristorante Bartolotta: Half off bottles less than $100. 7616 W. State St., Wauwatosa. (414) 771-7910.

Umami Moto: Half price on select bottles. 718 N. Milwaukee St. (414) 727-9333.

TUESDAY

Black Sheep: All bottles half price. 216 S. 2nd St. (414) 223-0903.

Buckley's Restaurant: Half off select bottles. 801 N. Cass St. (414) 277-1111.

Prodigal: All bottles half price. 240 E. Pittsburgh Ave. (414) 223-3030.

Ristorante Bartolotta: Half off bottles less than $100.

WEDNESDAY

Balzac: Half off bottles on the by-the-glass list.

Buckley's Restaurant: Half off select bottles. 801 N. Cass St. (414) 277-1111.

Ginger Tapas Bar: Half off all bottles. 235 S. 2nd St. (414) 220-9420.

Jake's: Half off bottles up to $100, $50 off bottles more than $100. 21445 W. Gumina Road, Pewaukee. (262) 781-7995.

Nines American Bistro: Half off bottles $60 and less; $30 off bottles more than $60. 12400 N. Ville du Parc Drive, Mequon. (262) 518-0129.

Umami Moto: Half price on select bottles. 718 N. Milwaukee St. (414) 727-9333.

Contact Carol Deptolla at (414) 224-2841, cdeptolla@journalsentinel.com or on Twitter @mkediner.

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Listen to dining critic Carol Deptolla's At the Table reports on WTMJ-AM (620) at 8:21 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. Fridays, and at 8:34 a.m. Sunday and on www.jsonline.com