BARTENDER'S WINE EXPERT:  JOSEPH DELISSIO

 
Wishing for what we think we want and need is a hard habit to break. We all want more money, more love, and more understanding. We all need a bigger house, a newer car, a better retirement plan, and a nicer boss.

While all of these needs and wants monopolize our time, one can easily forget about what we do have. For me it's three good and healthy children, a wise therapist, Starbucks, and good wine. As a writer, I am most grateful for creative freedom, but this is a rare commodity in the magazine business. I am grateful to work for Ray and Jaclyn Foley who for the most part have left the wine writing to me.

Because of my need for creative control, I had some deep concerns when Ray Foley himself called me up and said the words that wine writers never like to hear. "I have an idea for your next wine article." I held my breath and readied myself for combat and somewhat reluctantly said, "Okay, Ray, what is it?" He replied, "Why do I see the same wines selling at very different prices at different restaurants and bars?" He continued, "Am I missing something here? I want you to write about it." As I hung up the phone, it occurred to me that I had something else to be thankful for - an editor with some pretty good ideas.

It is amazing how wide the range of prices will be in different restaurants for exactly the same bottle of wine. I have been in restaurants that almost give wine away at cost; on the other hand, I have seen wine lists with prices that are outrageously inflated. What upsets me most is a wine that is easy to obtain and requires no cellaring that is marked up excessively. 

What is "excessive" you may ask. Well, that depends on the type of restaurant you're dining in. A simple neighborhood restaurant or bistro should charge between a two and a two-and-a-quarter time markup. For example, a bottle of Merlot that cost the restaurant $10.00 would sell for $20.00 on a two-time markup. A two-and-a-quarter time markup would yield the restaurant $22.50, with anything above that being too much. For a formal restaurant the costs of service, flowers, tablecloths, higher quality glassware, and wine warehousing must be added to the mix. In this kind of restaurant, a two or three time markup is acceptable. A restaurant that marks up more than three times the cost of a bottle of wine is, in my opinion, charging excessively.

Many restaurants have a floating price policy whereby the more the wine costs the smaller the markup implemented. For example, any wine that costs the restaurant over $25.00 will be marked up only two times, resulting in a selling price of $50.00 for a $25.00 wine. Restaurants that are able to purchase wine in large quantities can often save a fair amount of money. While some restaurants keep any additional profits, the smart restauranteur will pass these savings on to the consumer.