Why I hate your wine list
You may wonder why I already hate your wine list when I have never seen it, nor even heard of your restaurant. Am I just contrary, assuming without any evidence that your wine list is not up to my snuff, or do I hate all wine lists?
The answer is a little of both. The wine list I do not hate (and did not create myself) is few and far between.
But, you may protest, we are just a little family restaurant, and only have a few wines on the list. I would probably hate your list most of all.
But, another of you protests, we have an award winning wine list that is so large you can hardly lift it. Ok, I hate this wine list most of all, although I promise to spend a long time on it, likely enjoying parts, even while hating it overall.
By now any of you out there with your own wine lists are probably seething. You know your wine list is the one exception I would like, and you figure it is unfair for me to judge you so harshly. Prove me wrong, send a copy of it to me at wineguy@wineeducation.com along with a sample of your menu. Don't expect a detailed critique, I get the big bucks to do that, but I will tell you what I think of it.
So what does it take to make me happy? Nothing much, just near perfection.
Here, first of all, are my biggest pet peeves:
What can you do to improve your list? Talk to your customers, see what they are missing, this is critical, and all too rare. Make sure you taste the wines on your list with your food. Make sure your staff is trained in the wine list, they do not have to know it all, but everyone should be able to recommend at least three wines they have tasted lately. Keep the size appropriate. Too big and people will get lost in the list not knowing where to go. Too small, even for a family restaurant and people will not order any wine.
If you are not making most of your money on wine, you are doing something wrong. Chances are it is your wine list.
The answer is a little of both. The wine list I do not hate (and did not create myself) is few and far between.
But, you may protest, we are just a little family restaurant, and only have a few wines on the list. I would probably hate your list most of all.
But, another of you protests, we have an award winning wine list that is so large you can hardly lift it. Ok, I hate this wine list most of all, although I promise to spend a long time on it, likely enjoying parts, even while hating it overall.
By now any of you out there with your own wine lists are probably seething. You know your wine list is the one exception I would like, and you figure it is unfair for me to judge you so harshly. Prove me wrong, send a copy of it to me at wineguy@wineeducation.com along with a sample of your menu. Don't expect a detailed critique, I get the big bucks to do that, but I will tell you what I think of it.
So what does it take to make me happy? Nothing much, just near perfection.
Here, first of all, are my biggest pet peeves:
- A list created by a wine salesman or distributor
They too often look like they are a dumping ground for wines that they couldn't sell. - A wine list that doesn't take the menu into consideration.
This is by far my most common complaint, and too many Award Winning Wine Lists fall into this group. Have you really tasted that $500 bottle of Bordeaux with your spicy signature dish? - Bin numbers.
Ok, this is just being picayune, but your customer should be able to refer to the name of the wine, and not a number. Bin numbers are for internal reference, not a shortcut to knowing the list for your staff. - Lack of balance.
This is the hardest one to explain, but think about your clients, do you have a little of everything for everyone? It does not mean you need every wine, or every region, but the major styles should all be represented, even if you don't like them yourselves. - Layout.
I am a big fan of putting all of the wines together by their main grapes, Cabs and Bordeaux together, Pinots and Burgundy, and so on. What I don't like to see is wines lumped together by style, especially when the style names are cutesie (you know who you are). This is confusing to your customers, even if your intentions are good. - Bulk without regard to balance.
Sure your list is huge, and you cover a lot, but is it balanced? This goes back to the balance above, but just because you have a lot to chose from does not mean you have something for everyone. - Up to date.
The kiss of death is a wine list that is inaccurate. This is the computer age, there is no excuse for being out of a wine for more than one night. - Poor pricing.
This works both ways. Make sure the wines you are offering are priced appropriately for your restaurant. I recently went to a family lobster house that had $200+ Bordeaux on their tiny list, but not a decent Pinot for under $50 or a single Pinot Blanc/Gris at any price. If you are a high end restaurant, make sure you have some lower priced wines on the list as well as the big guns. - Bragging about your Awards.
Careful about this one. It is natural to be excited when you receive recognition, but the most popular wine award of all may not be that hard to get. I personally have never heard of anyone being turned away. To prove the point, some years ago several associates and I created a list that was purposefully awful, but nice and big, and it won the highest award (the restaurant didn't even exist).
What can you do to improve your list? Talk to your customers, see what they are missing, this is critical, and all too rare. Make sure you taste the wines on your list with your food. Make sure your staff is trained in the wine list, they do not have to know it all, but everyone should be able to recommend at least three wines they have tasted lately. Keep the size appropriate. Too big and people will get lost in the list not knowing where to go. Too small, even for a family restaurant and people will not order any wine.
If you are not making most of your money on wine, you are doing something wrong. Chances are it is your wine list.
posted by Wineguy at 1:13 PM
4 Comments:
I agreed and have also lamented with your ideas many a time, but when I got to this I just laughed:
Layout.
I am a big fan of putting all of the wines together by their main grapes, Cabs and Bordeaux together, Pinots and Burgundy, and so on. What I don't like to see is wines lumped together by style, especially when the style names are cutesie (you know who you are). This is confusing to your customers, even if your intentions are good.
Your right if done poorly styles can hurt, but I equally hate putting all cabs with Bordeaux's. Not to mention that 70% or more of the people shown the list while at the resturant won't even know that bordeaux has cab in it. If I know nothing of wine, I want someone to give me a good idea of what the food I'm eating can handle. Lighter wines, Medium wines, or maybe Beef friendly, or apertif wines? Who knows, but in this way someone can find something new to try, instead of trying to figure out why there favorite chard is grouped with burgundy's. Remember most people, even wine savy people have much to learn about wine.
Your points are quite valid. i was not clear enough. When I put Cabs and Bordeaux together, it says in big letters, "Cabs & Bordeaux" and since Bordeaux across the river from the Haut Medoc are mostly Merlot, I put them with the Merlots.
Why Chards and White Burgundies (as well as Cabs and Bordeaux) together? Because they really are the same. Increasingly around the world regions are less important thatn the grape varieties. It is the wine maker that is dictating style in this day and age, not regions.
So for all that, why don't I like the layout of wine lists that lump wines by style? Mostly because they are almost always wrong. Just this weekend I had a soft, almost Beaujolais styled Syrah that was listed on the wine list with 'Full Bodied" wine, just because it was a Syrah. If you are going to list by style, great, but make sure you taste the wines first, and that means every vintage.
I am a even bigger fan of making the wine list and menu's work together. It is great when there are specific recommendations.
I have been in the restaurant business for 18 years all over USA and Europe on both the restaurant side and the distributor side. It's people like you mr. wineguy that I find RUINING the industry with arrogant statements and bad advice. I came to this site looking for some interesting ideas and couldn't even stomach your introduction. I don't have any interest in what else you have to say or what your ideas may be for a wine list... I will pass this information along to anyone else who will listen or doesn't already know...there is nothing about you to take seriously.
I see many wine lists on blank paper. Clean and simple - makes sense. But what about adding images to the page to help direct/remind guests of their preferred wine choices? Or turn a guest on to a new wine by its unique label or highlighted name? Too distracting? Would this be helpful for the occasional wine drinker? Offensive to the wine "snob"? By adding images, this could also serve as a sales tool for the business owner, emphasizing the "money makers" or preferred wine selections to compliment the menu. Anyone with thoughts both from the perspective of the guest and owner?
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