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PRICES
A smart wine list will have good wines at different price points. More relaxed establishments should consider offering mostly reasonably priced wines. Too many high priced wines may cause customers to shy away from your establishment as well as the wine list, so be careful. If you mostly offer well known national brands that are found everywhere, remember, many of your clients will know what these wines sell for at the local wine shop so donıt mark up excessively. If you are introducing a wine list for the first time, I strongly recommend you begin with a conservative pricing strategy.
APPROPRIATENESS TO THE MENU
Though most people seem to drink the wines they prefer regardless of the type of food they order, your wine list should lean towards what works best with the menu. Simply put, if you sell mostly red meats, offer more red wines and if fish is your specialty, itıs good logic to lean towards the whites. An equal mix of red and white wines is a good bet when no food is sold.
WINES BY THE GLASS AND HALF BOTTLES
List all the wines you offer by the glass on the wine list. I often recommend listing these wines right on the top of the first page of the list. This is a convenient location for the many customers who only order wines by the glass and shows your lowest priced wines right up front, which can be comforting for other patrons. Too often wines selected to be served by the glass are some of the cheapest wines the manager or owner can find. This can be a big mistake because cheap wine seldom turns out to be very tasty. A sure tell sign of customer dissatisfaction with your by the glass choices is when wine is often left in the glass, or when second glasses are seldom ordered.
Whether Iım eating alone, not very thirsty, or my companion desires a different wine than I do, half bottles are very user friendly. The addition of a few half bottles to your wine list will be greatly appreciated.
CREATE A USER FRIENDLY WINE LIST
An easy layout, clear easy-to-read print size and style, an accurate listing of vintages and producers, friendly wine notations (such as when a wine is sweet), are some of the little things that will go a long way in helping your customers feel comfortable ordering wine. Remember, it is a wise and thoughtful barkeep who helps his patrons drink often
and --
"Drink Well,"
Joseph DeLissio
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