“I SERVED a 1920 Château Margaux last night,” the sommelier said to the two Frenchmen at the table behind me. It’s the kind of remark you might expect to overhear at some classy Paris restaurant, but not at a steakhouse in Tampa, Florida.

Bern’s is no ordinary steakhouse. As well as a menu that has four pages devoted to the sourcing and preparation of its steaks, Bern’s has the largest wine cellar of any restaurant in the world.

There are half a million bottles to choose from, a vinous nightmare for the indecisive.

According to Wine Decanter magazine, Bern’s nearest rival is the Tour d’Argent in Paris, which has about 450,000 bottles.