Dionysus gets a bum rap these days. Known primarily for his more prurient pranks, the god of wine is often dismissed as more deviant than divine. But back in ancient Greece, he was revered as the god of inspiration, the promulgator of joy and transformation.

It is this Dionysus who presides over the growing trend of opening restaurant wine cellars for private dining. His presence is near in the cloistered quarters that feel deliciously off-limits. His inspiration turns dark rooms into romantic settings and small spaces into cozy hideaways.

The concept, of course, is fueled by more than divine provocation. "Wine is the most popular it has ever been in the history of the United States," states Ronn Wiegand, publisher and editor of the newsletter Restaurant Wine. "Because it is so much more important in restaurants these days-sales can run as much as 40 percent of the average check-it makes tremendous sense to use wine as a theme and to make use of these spaces. And wine cellars have ambience. They look good, feel good; they have a sense of history, tradition, luxury, privacy and sophistication."

Reasons enough for restaurant owners to knock out walls and expand opportunities to share once-clandestine cellars with an eager public.

A vintage concept

Although the trend is rolling faster than a barrel down Mount Olympus, it's not exactly new. During the 19th century, Americans enjoyed subterranean experiences in Uhrig's Cave in St. Louis, for instance, and Schlogli's restaurant in Chicago. In the 1920s, the wine cellar at the 21 Club in New York City had an intriguing double life. "The wine cellar was one of the most famous speakeasies during Prohibition," says Brian Finneran, director of catering. "It was raided once or twice, but the federal agents never discovered how to get in."

After Prohibition ended in 1933, the wine cellar returned to its more settled purposes — until 15 years ago, when it was first marketed as a dining destination for up to 10 guests. In 1996, because of significant demand for larger parties, the new owners, Orient Express Hotels, completely reconfigured the wine cellar to accommodate groups of 20 among the 11,000 bottles of red wine. (White wine and champagne are stored in a separate cooler.)

Another historic cellar, The Champagne Cellar on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, dates back to 1896, though then it was an ice room for the dairy operation on George Vanderbilt's 125,000-acre estate. When, in keeping with the Loire Valley inspiration for Vanderbilt's 250-room chateau, his heirs opened a winery in 1985, the space served as the champagne storage room. Last year it was converted into an elegant dining area for about 32 guests. Sharing the kitchen with The Bistro restaurant upstairs, The Champagne Cellar draws on the vast collection of the estate's award-winning winery. "We modeled the room after European wineries," explains Stephanie Williams, catering manager, "where the wine master entertains guests in a special room and features menus that showcase the wines." Custom chandeliers, and thick stone walls draped in rich tapestries, help create an other-era ambience.

It took a bulldozer to reconfigure the wine cellar at Cities in Washington DC. Last year, owner Sahir Erozan tore out everything but the four walls and rebuilt his 10-year-old restaurant around a modern, glass-enclosed cellar. "Everything is new here," says Erozan. "It will take me another year or longer to build up a really fine wine cellar." In the meantime, guests have plenty to choose from as they dine around the 15-foot-long wooden table that faces the lighted cellar. For added privacy, curtains can enclose the table and an adjacent space seating up to 50 guests.

Uncorking profits

Something Dionysian comes over managers as they talk about their cellars, their eyes sparkling like a vintage champagne. Maybe it's the added profits the exclusive spaces deliver — or the opportunity to marry their finest wines with their favorite foods. The 21 Club's wine cellar is booked at least five nights a week at a cork-popping $400-per-person tariff, which includes six courses, wine selected for each course by the sommelier, service, taxes and room rental; a champagne-and-hors d'oeuvres reception in the upstairs lounge is also included. Other cellars come at more accessible prices that range from $60 to $100 per person. Room rental fees average $150 to $200, though some restaurateurs skip the surcharge in favor of the value-added appeal the cellar offers their customers.

For diners on a tighter budget, a cellar experience is also available at la Madeleine restaurants in cities throughout the United States — such as Dallas, Atlanta and New Orleans. According to Mary Gosson, general manager of the Georgetown location in Washington DC, "about 20 of our 54 French bakeries are large enough to house a wine cave. Raoul, a friend of our founder, Patrick Esquirre, lives in the Loire Valley and supplies from his own wine cave all the barrels and antique corkscrews we use for decoration." Last June, Gosson brought Raoul's picturesque homeland a little closer when she hired artists to paint a colorful mural depicting the valley's countryside. "The detail is incredible. Up close you can see the Tudor-style houses, the reflection of the bridge in the river, and of course, a chateau." On the opposite wall, a realistic faux window overlooks a vineyard where workers prepare this year's crop as private parties of about 30 look on. There is no charge for the room, which is also available for business meetings.

The perfect marriage

Chefs and sommeliers work together to develop special cellar menus that ensure the quality of the experience in their prized inner sanctums. "I like to be personally involved in everything that goes on down there," says Tom Tiley, chief sommelier at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia. His wine cellar, a former cistern for the island, includes a dining area for up to 20 guests within a two-story 15,000-bottle inventory. (The Cloister's total wine inventory exceeds 40,000 bottles.) "Generally the groups leave it totally up to me to take the wine and food where it needs to go. That gives me all kinds of flexibility; each time is totally different."

Stephanie Williams and her staff have established several elegant menus for The Champagne Cellar. Even so, they occasionally get requests for traditional prime rib and baked potato. "We consciously made the decision that our menus need to showcase our wines, and we are not going to change them," Williams states. "That may cost us some business, but that is our goal for the space."

Erozan faxes menus to patrons who reserve Cities' cellar space, and together they select a fixed menu with corresponding wines to suit their budget. La Madeleine offers its wine-cave guests a choice of service. "We are an authentic French country cafe," Gosson explains, "which means our cafe lines are self-service. However, managers can also help with the selection of three or four entrees off the menu and oversee the service."

Making the most of the wine cellar bolsters revenues, takes advantage of underutilized space, and requires little additional staff training. Furthermore, cellar parties, tucked away from the hustle-bustle of the restaurant, rarely conflict with regular operations. In fact, the cellars' only problem seems to be the enviable kind — they are often busy and booked.

Restaurants such as Cities and The Cloister do little or no marketing, relying on word of mouth for all the business they can handle, while the 21 Club advertises in trade journals, event directories and the New York Times. "The wine cellar is the cornerstone of the restaurant" says Finneran, "so it serves as the foundation for all our campaigns. We always mention the wine cellar because it is so famous."

Tiley is even talking about expanding into a nearby second cistern. "I keep threatening to do like 'The Great Escape' — bust a hole through this wall and just keep chiseling out little by little until we finally reach the next cistern," he jokes. "Seriously, there's plenty of room for growth. It's just a matter of where we take it."

Other expansion plans extend even further, to allowing guests into the back of the house. "When I renovate my kitchen," Erozan adds, with a gleam in his eye, "I would like to put a guest table in there, too." Move over, Dionysus. Make room for Hestia, goddess of the hearth.

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