Bottle order
The good news is that wine lists - whether in pubs, bars or restaurants - are gradually improving. According to Jim Ainsworth, editor of the Good Food Guide, those compiling new lists are responding to changes in the world of wine. "They know they can't get away with poor, dull wine any more," he says. "Even traditional lists with vast ranges of Bordeaux and Burgundy look like they are missing something these days. But we see lots of lists with exciting bottles from South America, Southern France, Italy - new wines which are interesting, which make drinking fun. And for that, three cheers."
But he remains concerned about margins. "This is still a hot topic for many of our inspectors," he adds. "Some places are still very greedy, especially top-flight restaurants or country house hotels, and it takes all the pleasure out of the wine."
James Sankey, who put together the wine lists for Edinburgh's Atrium and Blue Bar, says that a 60-70% mark-up is average, and believes that anything more than 75% is a ripoff.
Ainsworth says that, in an ideal world, every wine would have the same amount added - "say, £5 for every bottle, not some graded margin". Be aware that wine-knowledgeable punters abound these days and they may well know if you try to rip them off. As Sankey says: "Customers are increasingly aware of the value of wines."
So, watch your margins, and look for a wide variety of wines if you want to impress a Good Food Guide inspector.
Ainsworth doesn't mind particularly how a wine list is arranged, either by country or stylistically, but it does need to be easy to navigate and themed in some manner. When writing out the list, do be careful to give every bit of a wine's proper name. "Pouilly-Fum‚ 1998" is not enough information; "Pouilly-Fum‚ Silex 1998, Didier Dagueneau, Loire Valley, France" is more like it.
Sankey, currently developing a 150-strong wine list for his new Edinburgh venture, Oloroso, says that he uses as many suppliers as possible - 12 or 15, including specialists such as Ben Ellis for fine Austrian bins. This is clearly a case of horses for courses - in our case study (see below), a village pub landlord says that he finds it much easier to put together a simple list with just one core supplier. Work out what suits your particular needs.
Tasting notes seem to be extremely popular with everyone Caterer spoke to, but they need to be brief, useful and down-to-earth. Use a vocabulary that customers can relate to ("rich, oaky, blackcurrant flavoured…") rather than a meaningless, snobby one ("delicate, feminine, cheeky little number…").
Variety of styles
Choice counts for a great deal, but that doesn't mean you have to list hundreds of wines. A short list becomes much more user-friendly if it includes some half-bottles, a magnum or two and a wide range available by the glass. A great variety of styles is essential - 15 different Chardonnays or 3 Pinot Grigios is simply boring. A few sherries, Madeiras, ports, interesting sparklers and fashionable dessert wines add depth and interest.
And finally, the golden rule is to plan a wine list that suits your establishment. A seafood bar doesn't need a big selection of rich, powerful reds; a village pub shouldn't have to list expensive, mature clarets; and a trendy, upmarket new restaurant has no use for Hock or Lambrusco. Think about matching wines to your style of food in general, and consider matching specific wines by the glass or bottles with specific dishes on the menu. As long as the information is clearly, simply and briefly given, you can't have too much of it.
Case study - a country pub
When David and Karen Gervers took over the Bridford Inn, a free house and village pub in Devon, they decided to revamp the wine list completely. "There wasn't a single bottle of red in the place," David remembers, "yet we had an enormous selection of Chardonnay - every variation on the theme. We badly needed to redress the balance."
That was six months ago. Now, the inn offers a decent slate of more than 20 wines, mainly fashionable, modern New World bins but with a few French and Italian listings as well. This includes six wines sold by the glass (large 175ml or giant 250ml measures), a rosé from California, an Australian sparkler and a house Champagne. The punters, a mix of locals and dining tourists, seem to have warmed to the new list. "We're selling a lot of wine by the glass already," Gervers reports, "and the more expensive wines in particular, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, are doing well by the bottle."
How did the couple go about this transformation? At first, they considered trying to upgrade the existing range and contacted the original suppliers through telesales staff. It didn't work out. "We discovered that the staff didn't know the first thing about the subject," Gervers says. So they changed their minds and put themselves in the hands of just one supplier. "We threw ourselves on the mercy of Oddbins in Exeter," Gervers says. "We had been impressed with them before and they really seemed to know their stuff."
The relationship has flourished to the point where the Oddbins crew have hosted a popular wine tasting in the pub. The Gervers are especially impressed by the fact that they can easily change a particular listing if it isn't selling well.
To select the new range, Gervers went into Oddbins with a good idea of what he wanted. As he knew a fair amount about wine, he was able to ask for a South African Pinotage, or a Chilean Cabernet, and taste through the options. "If you are confident about your wine knowledge, work out a skeleton list of styles first," he recommends. "If not, the supplier really should do it for you."
He admits that he didn't have enough time to canvas the locals before setting up the list. "But now I'm listening hard and starting to refine it," he adds. "For example, I have realised that we need more inexpensive fizz and that French wines aren't particularly popular around here." On the other hand, New World wines seem to be going down better. "They are good value, provide more consistent quality, and customers recognise what they are getting."
The new Bridford Inn list is ordered by country within red and white groups, and carries brief tasting notes supplied by Oddbins. "I'm in two minds about that," Gervers says. "Descriptive notes might put some people off, and seem pretentious, but a list does look stark without them. And we can't expect all our staff to be able to describe each wine."
In the future, he hopes to promote his wines more - perhaps by selling bin-ends, holding more tasting events, or using tent cards on the tables to pick out certain bottles.
Interestingly, Gervers is reluctant to stock very well-known brands. "People are more price-conscious than ever before, and if you stock a very familiar name they might compare the price with the supermarket tag."
Still, he is keen to keep margins low - bottles start at £7.50, rising to £15.20 for table wines and £25 for vintage Champagne. "First and foremost," he says, "this is a village pub - we can't go charging ludicrous prices for wine."
And he has one last tip: "Remember that customers know a lot more about wine than ever before. Pub wine may still have a terrible reputation, but in reality you can't get away with the wrong wine, the wrong price or the wrong information on your list any more."