In this article, Nicks writes, ‘I would like to hear from readers their opinions on pricing a wine list. Should it be heavy on the margin as a way to cover overheads and contribute to profitability, bearing in mind that higher prices may dampen consumption in a market where demand is already falling? Or should the wine list be priced for excitement and to stimulate demand with the obvious risk that profitability may be prejudiced?’ What do you think?
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I have considerable sympathy for the restaurant trade when it comes to wine pricing. My guess is that covid knocked them for 6 plus recent increases in prices that ultimately have to be passed to the customer, then they also struggle to get staff, and retain them. I worked at a Norfolk vineyard for 5 years in my retirement, and in between doing the morning and afternoon tour, my second job was serving lunches, and clearing away. Becoming a waiter after 35 years in the legal profession was quite a shock. However I became very good at loading a dishwasher! But most people were very kind about the wine I served them.
I know it’s a big generalisation but the great British public moan about price all the time and know very little, if anything, about wine. What they basically want it a nice cheap fruity alcoholic drink at around £7-8 and are reluctant to go over £30 in a restaurant unless they splash out on Champagne for a celebration.
Up here in sunny Norfolk most restaurants are pubs who get their wine either from Majestic’s commercial arm, Hallgartens, Lea and Sandeman or John Fells. So they are all given a spreadsheet with prices already listed and therefore the wines are chosen for them. That is par for the course.
For nerdy people like me when I look at lists in Norfolk it is all the same mid priced mass produced safe choices. I cannot speak for other counties. But I suspect the vast bulk of eating places are not that much different.
Very occasionally you get an oasis and if that place charges a bit more then good luck to them.
What irritates me is when I see what I know to be weak vintages of Bordeaux and Burgundy charged at top price.
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Very interesting article! – and I think I have developed opinions that go against the grain, having entered this argument a few times.
I’m firmly of the view that many restaurants need to price up their lists, and actually when you look at the costs in the round, this is a relative bargain for the time that has gone into the list – as well as the overheads of handling such an ambitious wine programme for just 14 tables / sitting.
I had the opportunity to eat at Bonheur, and it was certainly a memorable experience. Equally, I looked at the wine list in advance, which looked a little on the pricier side in advance. So I understand the sentiment.
But I get somewhat frustrated when people judge a wine list against retail price (or the wine list of restaurants with fewer wine staff). This is like comparing apples and oranges.
In the case of a restaurant like Bonheur, you’re not just paying for the bottle that arrives at your table, but the care and attention that has gone into the list, the buying, the glassware, the service, the training of team members, and that’s before you get into the direct overheads of the restaurant.
In the case of Bonheur, when I was there, I remember Eric Zweibel being on the floor, with, perhaps, 2-3 other sommeliers. That’s a ratio of 1:4 tables when the restaurant is full, and closer to 1:2 when we were there. As a result, we received a very intimate, personalised service, with top-quality recommendations, full discussion of the producers, and much else besides.
Equally, and as an aside, in an economy / market where there are fewer roles and opportunities for early-career sommeliers, if wine drinkers want to continue to experience a high level of service (which I, personally, think is part of the experience), I feel we have to pay our higher proportion of the service costs. I also believe that Mr Zweibel invests in the his team, and ultimately that has to be carried by the customer. I don’t only think that’s fair, but important.
When I pay for a bottle of wine at a restaurant, I see myself paying for all of these things together. Of course, it would be possible to experience that same bottle in a different setting at a lower price point: either at home, or in a different restaurant with fewer wine staff, etc, but that would result in a different experience – and more marginal contribution to the industry.
Equally, if I had decided to drink at home, it would have been a different experience entirely because I would have ended up with a different bottle: because when I selected a South African bottle of dessert wine at Bonheur, I was instead guided towards a Swiss bottle that I ended up enjoying more for the novelty. I think that advice is worth paying for.
Is this an experience people can afford every night? Probably not, but if you want to be able to experience it occasionally, then people have to foot the bill. Does that mean that everyone will be happy paying the price? No, of course.
But having been to a number of restaurants recently (including Michelin star ones!), where wine service has been cut to the bone, it’s nice to see a restaurant that’s actively investing in wine service – and the next generation of talent. The quid pro quo though is that someone has to pay for it.
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Thank you for the review of Bonheur. Bizarrely I had been thinking of starting a thread here about exactly the topic Nick asked for feedback - that of restaurant wine pricing. By coincidence my thought process was triggered by the exact same wine list that the article considered – I have an upcoming reservation at Bonheur and had similarly checked the wine list in advance and been rather horrified by the mark-ups.
I had thought that London was moving in the opposite direction; lower mark-ups (100-200% instead of the 350%ish “normal”). The idea being to drive greater wine volumes and greater bums on seats. I suppose bums on seats is less of an issue for Bonheur given early accolades that seem to put Abe on the same post-Royal Hospital Rd trajectory as former alumni Clare Smyth, but whoever sets the wine prices at Bonheur seems to be engaging in some kind of oenological Laffer curve experiment as to what they can get away with – volume be damned. My cursory look identified markups that seemed to push comfortably into the 500-600% range, or even higher, wherever I looked. Some random examples: López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva 2012 at £180 (it’s £35 retail), La Lagune 2012 at £245 (£44 retail), Domaine de Montille, Volnay, 1er Cru ‘Taillpieds’ at £825 (£104 retail) – Crikey!
And no, they won’t accept corkage. Full stop, at any price.
This is the sort of thing that, personally, overshadows the food and overall experience. No matter how good the food is, an egregious wine list is going to have a direct impact on whether I want to go back, because I consider wine a part of the enjoyment of the meal. And while I understand restaurant economics are tough as hell, to a customer, it feels wrong. But perhaps I’m missing the point. Perhaps they don’t mind if you only come once. Perhaps they are so confident of forward bookings they don’t need your repeat custom. Perhaps the Asian diners Nick referred to weren’t abstemious by nature – perhaps they were just aware of what things cost?
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Fully agree. As I am old enough to insist on having wine with my food, I would never come back to a restaurant with an overpriced wine list. 250% margin is ok, 300% acceptable, anything more a no-no for me. When Locanda Locatelli opened many years ago, we as a family of 5 would go there once a week. Until we didn’t. At each visit I complained to the sommelier that a wine list where not a single good wine under £200 can be found is offputting. Nothing changed. So we stopped going. Years later my youngest daughter wanted to go back to celebrate her high school graduation. “Papa, for once, just drink water.” So we went. To my surprise there were 40 decent wines on the list under £100. I asked the sommelier what had caused his change of heart. “We realised that people just refused to drink,” was his answer. “We rather have people spend a little, than nothing.” Good thinking? I am not sure. Top restaurateurs in London do not cater for regulars anymore. They don’t care if people feel unconfortable. They want onetime visitors who come for the Michelin stars and pay handsomely for food. On occasion a Russian will turn up and spend on overpriced wine. Others will order wine by the glass. Cue dinner restaurant: the menue never changed in years.
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Thanks to everybody who responded.
When I conceived of Lunch for a Fiver in January 1993 I remember writing that the greatest cost to any restaurateur was an empty table.
I wonder whether today the same is true of wine. What would happen if today, when confronted by customers who decline wine, the sommelier was to place a small glass of red or white wine in front of the customer and say that it was offered with the compliments of the restaurant?
Would this policy persuade more customers to enjoy wine?
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Nick, I think this is tricky, as you never know why the person is not drinking, and if they’ve actively declined, I’d say that choice needs to be respected. But if they haven’t voiced any decision, then I think it can be an encouraging move – if the wine is good and interesting. I will never forget sitting down to a table in a foreign city by myself, feeling quite awkward, and having a small bowl of warm salted almonds and glass of Fino materialize while I looked over the menu. The gesture not only made me feel immediately welcome but also at liberty to order and enjoy a glass of wine even though I was dining alone. It also made me a lifelong fan of Sharon Hage and her restaurant, York Street in Dallas, even though it’s been long closed. *And* I likely drink more Fino because of that lovely experience. A win all around.