Vertical Wine Bistro: No well drinks

Note to distributors: If your blockbuster's producer wants a bottle of Krug, just say yes.

In 1984, after "The Terminator" made $72 million for Orion Pictures, studio principals Eric Pleskow and Arthur Krim invited producer Gale Anne Hurd and director Jim Cameron for lunch at New York's Le Cote Basque. Cameron suggested Champagne; Hurd requested Krug.

That's when "Terminator 2" slipped away. Says Hurd, "Orion said Krug was too expensive."

The waiter brought a bottle of Perrier Jouet; Hurd and Cameron brought their sequel to TriStar.

"We felt insulted," says Hurd. "We made them all this money and they're telling us we're not worth a nice bottle of Champagne."

Hurd has three kinds of Krug (Grand Cuvee, Rose, Clos de Mesnil) on the 400-bottle wine list of her new restaurant, Vertical Wine Bistro. However, she recognizes that becoming a producer/restauranteur could be its own bad bargain.

She recites the trusim: "How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? Start with a large one."

Of course, unlike most restauranteurs, she can afford to spend a million or so opening a restaurant; pics like the "Terminator" franchise, "Armageddon" and "Hulk" made her millions; real estate investments made her more of the same.

Still, on paper, Vertical Wine Bistro could suggest a particular kind of doom. It's all about small plates and wines by the glass, two current trends (meaning, at some point, they won't be).