Of the 50 percent of guests who order wine with their meals at Fleming's, half order wine by the glass.

Called the Fleming's 100, the extensive by-the-glass wine list evolved out of co-founders Paul Fleming and Bill Allen's desire to make wines accessible to guests and to stay on trend. In the 10 years since the program's launch, by-the-glass consumption has steadily increased at the 57-unit chain. Today, of the 50 percent of guests who order wine with their meal, half order wine by the glass and half order by the bottle. About 10 percent of the guests who order wine also order wine flights, trios of 2-ounce tastes of any wines included in the Fleming's 100, at the same price per ounce.

While Fleming's can't say exactly how much consumption of wines by the glass has increased each year, it says increases have been steady, with more significant jumps in sales in the last three years.

“We offer so many wines by the glass because our customers don't want to limit the wine at their table to just one bottle. This way each diner can enjoy what they wish economically,” says Jansen op de Haar. “This also gives them ability to compare and contrast different tastes throughout the meal and to try new things.”

This year's theme for the Fleming's 100 is green. More than 70 percent of the new wines on the 2008-09 Fleming's 100 list are from wineries that practice sustainable farming and/or organic and biodynamic farming. That means grapes used to make these wines were grown without herbicides and pesticides. About 12 percent of the wines on the list are also made with organically certified grapes.

Combining increased consumer interest in green wines with her own desire to introduce guests to smaller, family-owned green wineries, Jansen op de Haar felt the time was right to bring more of these wines to the by-the-glass list. She says there's also a flavor benefit, believing the fruit used to make green wines to be “purer in taste.”

Thus far green wines selling best on the list include Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

Tasting more than 5,000 wines and talking with Fleming's wine managers throughout the country, Jansen op de Haar works year-round on developing each new list. She chooses 70 of the wines; wine managers at each unit select the rest to allow for regional preferences.

Some wines may stay on the list for two or three years, based on quality and popularity, but about 40 change each year. “I always include new trends,” Jansen op de Haar says. “Sometimes it's a country that's taking off or a grape that's making waves. I try to push the envelope a little bit.”

The final list balances popular selections with harder-to-find boutique wines and is shaped to offer good value and to complement Fleming's menu.

Fleming's Wine Vine carries a flight of three, 2-ounce tastes of any varietals on the Fleming's 100 list.

Prior to the launch each July, all Fleming's wine personnel take a wine trip together to either Napa Valley or Sonoma, tasting 70 wines. Managers present their regional selections by hosting weekly tastings with servers and bartenders to get them acclimated to the list.

To educate guests and help them navigate the menu, Fleming's lists wines progressively, organizing them first by grape variety and then according to body and flavor intensity. The list flows from lighter to more fully flavored wines. Each is priced from $6.50 to $25 a glass.

But the easiest point of entry for customers is Fleming's flight program. Guests ordering flights get three, 2-ounce tastes of wine fitted into Fleming's Wine Vine, a decorative, wrought-iron holder. Customers can create their own flights or try Fleming's Flight of the Night, a weekly changing selection of one white, one red and one Reserve wine. As they get more familiar with the wines, guests are encouraged to try “blind” flights that come with tasting notes, and guess which wine is which.

The best-selling wines at Fleming’s are Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays, but Rieslings and Syrahs are also newly popular.

Marketing its wines, each year Fleming's 100 debuts at a series of Night of Discovery parties in July for Fleming's online database of customers throughout the country. The events feature five of the new wines paired with five appetizers each night. Parties happen once a week for four weeks. Fleming's also hosts three annual wine dinners systemwide. Each unit may do another four or more special events hosted by local wineries.

But the fact that Fleming's launches a new Fleming's 100 list each year is by far the biggest draw. “People are drawn to what's new,” Jansen op de Haar says. “And because there are so many options, people know this is an easy way to learn about a lot of wines without a lot of rules.“