How to create a profitable wine list for your restaurant

A wine list is a sales tool before it is a list. Built properly, it raises average spend, rotates stock in the right order, and brings enthusiasts back. Built poorly, it sits in a drawer and the guest orders "a glass of red." Here is the method, from selection to printing.

Selecting your references

A short, dynamic list is better than a long, static one. For a neighborhood restaurant, thirty to fifty references are enough. A fine dining venue can offer several hundred, but needs a sommelier to run it.

Build the list around the food, not the other way around. For each main dish category, plan at least two wines at different price points. Keep a core of fast-moving wines, a few prestige bottles that catch the eye, and by-the-glass options chosen for their consistency.

Think about stock as well: a bottle that does not move ties up cash and takes up a slot. Track sales by wine and remove anything that does not sell within three months without hesitation.

Building the pricing scale

The markup is the starting point, and we covered it in a dedicated article. But a list is read from top to bottom, and guests compare prices. A few basic rules:

• An honest entry-level wine, at an accessible price point, that tastes good. It is the most ordered wine; it must make guests want to return.

• Clear price steps: €28, €34, €42, €55 show a logical progression. €29, €31, €33 show nothing.

• A sliding markup on high-end bottles, so they sell instead of aging in the cellar.

• By-the-glass pricing calculated on five glasses rather than six, to absorb unfinished bottles.

Organizing the list

The most common order runs from sparkling to white, then rosé, red, and sweet wines, organized by region within each section. It suits most venues. A list organized by style (crisp, round, bold) is easier for casual drinkers to navigate, but requires careful wording.

Put wines by the glass first: this is what most guests look for first. List the denomination, pour size, and price for each wine, plus a brief tasting note if space allows. Mandatory details are covered in a separate article; they are not optional.

Keeping the list up to date

This is where most lists fail. A vintage changes, a reference runs out, a cost price goes up, and the printed list does not reflect it. The guest orders a missing wine, the server apologizes, and the table loses confidence.

The only reliable method is to generate the list directly from stock: only wines in the cellar appear, with their actual vintage and a price recalculated from the latest purchase price. Reprint whenever needed, in A4 format, in minutes.

Measuring performance

Track three numbers: average markup, margin excluding VAT per wine, and bottles sold per reference. They show which wines generate profit, which drive volume, and which are dead weight. Review them at every seasonal change.

What Tannin does for you

Tannin Pro generates your wine list directly from your stock, complete with mandatory details, wines by the glass on top, and your branding, ready to print in A4. Choose a markup for the whole list and set exact prices wherever you want; margin excluding VAT, average markup, and sales per wine appear in your statistics. An out-of-stock wine drops off the list on the next print run.