Are you a professional looking to create and enhance your wine list? Or are you simply curious to learn the rules of this art? Les Grappes outlines the requirements for creating a wine list and offers some tips to make the task easier!
The essentials of a wine list
First and foremost, your wine list must include a number of mandatory details : the price, the sales designations, the quantities served .
These obligations are defined in EEC Regulation No. 2392-89 of 24 July 1989, Article 40: "The designation and presentation, as well as any advertising, must not be erroneous or likely to create confusion or mislead the persons to whom they are addressed, particularly with regard to: the nature, composition, alcoholic strength by volume, color, origin or provenance, quality, vine variety, or nominal volume of the containers."
In short, the law states that you must indicate:
- the exact name under which the wine is sold, clearly separating table wines (without geographical indication), country wines and PDOs;
- the capacity of the bottles, preferably in centiliters; designate each type of bottle by its capacity;
- Net prices, service included.
These are the essential steps when creating your wine list.
Other more general but still essential advice from the start of creating your wine list: the vintage indicated on the wine list must be that of the wine available, and the bottles must be opened in the presence of the consumer, under their eyes (except of course for sales by the glass) .
Balanced wine list
After these practical considerations, let's talk about the wines! The art of a wine list lies in its balance and complementarity. Whether it features 40 or 500 selections, your list must above all be coherent and allow the customer to easily find what they're looking for. This means paying close attention to the interplay of complementary wines within your wine list.
First, ensure your wine list offers a complementary selection from different regions, featuring both well-known wines and lesser-known gems that you'll introduce to your customers. If 20% of your wines account for 80% of sales, it's your responsibility to promote lesser-known wines and leverage diversity to pique consumer interest.
Also consider varying the grape varieties, always aiming for harmony within your wine list: the key is to represent all the grape varieties across your wine list. Therefore, for each type of wine – red, white, rosé, champagne – offer wines made from different grape varieties. Even if you only offer three red wines, it's crucial that these three wines are not all of the same style or made from the same grape variety.
Opt for variety in wine styles. As we mentioned earlier, they should complement each other: offer both light and fruity wines, as well as powerful and full-bodied ones.
Finally, you need to align the price of the wine with the price of the dishes and set menus to ensure your wine list is coherent. Consider offering more affordable options to complement your lunchtime menus, for example. You can create selections with budget-friendly wines by the glass. Alongside these, also offer a selection of higher-priced wines of exceptional quality, while maintaining harmony with the rest of your wine list.
A living map
Once your wine list is drawn up, it should not remain static, quite the contrary: a good wine list evolves, it is alive.
To perfect your wine list, don't hesitate to evolve it. For example, you can adapt it to the seasons and the dishes, offering a specific list in spring and summer that might feature lighter and rosé wines . It can also reflect your discoveries: offer wines of the moment, new finds, or the chef's personal favorites . Introduce these wines to your guests so they can discover more unusual or lesser-known vintages. You can add a supplement to the wine list, present these wines on a chalkboard, or describe them verbally.
Of course, your wine list must also adapt to the flow of wines from the cellar: if a wine is no longer available, you will need to indicate this on the wine list!
