The Wine List: Essential

The wine list plays a very important role. It is a tool capable of giving identity to a place by communicating the style of the type of catering that you intend to offer. Based on the assortment proposed on the wine list it is possible to get an idea of ​​what the restaurant itself offers and above all what the quality level of the service and products is. It could be said that the wine menu defines the target audience of a restaurant. For example, let's imagine a wine list that offers a very varied and above all expensive assortment, in this case it will be clear that we are faced with a fairly high standard. If, however, you wanted to opt for a more territorial product, you might find it interesting to taste a good glass of vino primitivo.

This tool plays a fundamental role in the context of promoting a restaurant. In fact, it has the task of defining from the start what the style of the restaurant is. This card serves as the identity card of the restaurant itself.

What does a good wine list consist of?

But what does a respectable wine list consist of? What are the questions that restaurateurs need to ask themselves so that this tool performs its task of identifying the restaurant well? First of all, it is important that restaurateurs choose the quantity of wines they want to offer customers and then the type of wines, focusing above all on their quality. For example, you can choose a limited and well-curated selection despite a large number of lower quality products. Obviously price will play an important role in all of this. In the first case you will find yourself faced with a much more expensive wine menu than in the second case.

Criteria to be followed

Obviously the choice of the restaurateur must be based on some criteria. It is unthinkable that a restaurant that offers accessible traditional dishes could offer an excessively expensive wine list. In this regard we can say that there must be a sort of continuity between the type of wine proposal and the type of food proposal. In addition to there having to be continuity of style between wines and food, there must also be a competitive and fair relationship in terms of quantity. In fact, one cannot think of combining a limited range of dishes with too large a number of wines.

Recommendations for a card

In case you are undecided about which wines to include in your wine list, we might recommend starting with basic proposals. In this way it is advisable to include local products or offers that satisfy customer requests in your wine list. For this reason it may be important to do preliminary research on the type of wine your restaurant customers prefer. In short, informing yourself is necessary in order to offer an interesting proposal.

After choosing the wines to include in your wine list, you need to set a stylistic aspect that can capture attention. In this context it is necessary to propose a tool that is able to attract customers. A simple but elegant style could be highly recommended if you are designing a card for a bistro. Obviously even at this moment it is necessary to respect the style of your restaurant and provide, through your wine list, an idea of ​​the type of place you are in.

In any case, to be successful, this instrument must be:

• Not excessively long
• Continuously updated
• Well made, with the addition of any descriptions of each type of wine
• Consistent in terms of prices: you cannot think of inserting an exorbitant price to a local wine.