It has never quite made sense to us why Lou is called Lou.

Yes, the six-year-old Hollywood wine bar is named for its proprietor, Lou Amdur. But the charming, witty owner is more prone to making hilarious jokes at his own expense than self-aggrandizement.

But Lou is Lou, a sentiment everyone who has drunk and eaten here knows, and the reason why we're mourning Amdur's decision to sell his business.

New owner Troy Stevens doesn't plan on changing much, but the wine list will miss Amdur's eclectic touch. Descriptions like "Kim Jong-il's least favorite wine" will be but a memory, and such rare by-the-glass pours as Frank Cornelissen's Contadino 8, which the deceased dictator had no love for, will be that much harder to find.

Amdur has hinted at another project, but for now, Lou's current inventory is in need of drinking. Try a glass of off-dry Furmint ($12 for 5 ounces), a less sweet iteration of Hungary's Tokaji that zips with acidity (Amdur's tasting note? "OMFG."), or go straight for a bottle of intensely herbal 2004 Lenoir Chinon ($40 for 750 ml)--an aged, old-school taste of Loire Cabernet Franc.

You might not find these kinds of wines in Los Angeles if it weren't for Amdur. So offer him a toast.

Lou, 724 Vine St., Hollywood; 323-962-6369 or louonvine.com