Choosing, Pricing and Upselling Wine in your Restaurant

Updated October 9th 2013

Let me first get something straight. I do not pretend to be a wine connoisseur but the wine business is key to the restaurant industry. I therefore want to share my thoughts with you on this. Whatever I write here is designated to standard restaurants so I do not need to hear a moral from a wine cellar or a restaurant that has millions in stock.

Here are some estimates: More than half of the people pretending they are wine experts, have actually no idea so just keep on smiling at them. It is very, very difficult for someone to tell the difference between white and red wine when the temperature is the same. In other words, it is also a little old fashioned to force rules like white wine for fish and red wine for meat. Today it is really up to taste and pleasure of drinking it and not the fact that it needs to suit to the meal. The perpetual issue of what wine should be chosen when 4 people all eat something different is then avoided. So for the guest, drink what you want and for the restaurant, make sure your offer of wines served by the glass is good!

First of all make sure you have a very good wine list.  It doesn't need to be big. Even 4 whites, 4 reds, 2 roses and some special (like ice-wine or so) can be enough.  However, it is important that each style of grape is well represented.  I always recommend to go for a very memorable wine, a wine even a beginner could recognize. I personally see too many wines that are sold because of their brand or because they are part of a package.  Never let go of the fact that it is much easier to sell something that you see the amazement in, then if someone else is fascinated by it. 

Regarding the pricing, some people might have already realized that due to fierce competition, wines tend to get cheaper and the multiplication factor is moving away from x3 or x4 as it used to be. In some aspects logic. If I buy a bottle for 20 Euro or 80 Euro, the sales price could be 60 Euro or respectively 240 Eur. Now what makes the 80 Euro bottle at the end so much more expensive? Most wines do not need a special treatment. It takes the same storage space, same time to serve, same time to drink, so where does this difference come from? Customers have realized that too and the market will lead the industry in applying a fix profit margin instead of a price multiplier. This approach is often used in hotels or event locations when the customer wants to bring his own bottles and receives a corkage fee.

But still upselling wine is more than just a quick way to improve profits. It is an essential aspect of quality customer service in an up-scale restaurant. Learn how to successfully sell wine to customers.

Restaurant wine sales have more than doubled since 1980.  In full-service, upscale restaurants, upselling wine is more than just a way to increase profits; it is also an essential element of quality customer service. In an elegant establishment, servers should be well-versed in wine upselling techniques as well as wine and food pairing. It is a good idea to consider hiring servers with knowledge of wines, or to encourage your existing servers to receive sommelier training and certification. You can also hire one person to be the designated sommelier for customers who ask for wine recommendations.

The key to upselling wine is to find the right wine to fulfill or exceed the customers’ expectations. If the customers already know which wine they want to order, do not try to upsell them on something else unless they seem hesitant or unsure. Remember, the best opportunity for upselling wine is when the customer asks for a suggestion.

If the customers do not have a wine preference, then you can use these general guidelines for pairing wine with their meal:

Match red meat with red wine and white meat with white wine.

This is probably the most classic guideline for pairing wine with food. Pair red meats and game meats with red wines, and white meats and fish with white wines. However, this rule can sometimes be broken. Even more important than the meat types are the preparation, spices and sauces. Depending on the flavours in the dish, a white wine might work best with red meat. For example: as with spicy asian dishes. Furthermore, grilled white meats can often pair well with a red wine. For example, grilled chicken might go better with a tempranillo or merlot than with a white wine.

Pair fish with low-tannin wines.

In general, the best pairings for fish and shellfish are white wines. The high acidity and lack of tannins in most white wines will complement the oiliness and richness of the fish. However, the meatiest fish, like salmon, sturgeon, tuna or shark, can go well with red wines. If a customer is looking for a red wine to go with fish, offer low-tannin reds, like pinot noir, Chianti, Beaujolais, merlot or rosé. By no means should you suggest a cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz or any other high-tannin wine to go with a fish dish.

For desserts, offer sweet wines.

Dry wines usually have tannins that do not pair well with sweet desserts. Furthermore, the sweetness of the dessert will ruin the flavour of most dry wines. Play it safe, and recommend a half-bottle of port, sparkling white, Madeira or a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. With chocolate, which is one of the most troublesome foods to pair with wine, always stick to recommending a red dessert wine, like port, or simply suggest a coffee drink, which tends to go well with chocolate.

Pair spicy and fried foods with white wines.

In general, very spicy foods and salty, oily fried foods go best with a dry or semi-dry, white, acidic wine, like a Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, brut or sec champagne or Chenin Blanc. The crispness of high-acid, low-sugar wines like these will cut through the saltiness or oiliness of a dish. Often, a hint of sweetness or fruitiness in a wine can counteract the fiery capsaicin in a spicy dish. To cool down the spiciest dishes, recommend a blush, Pinot Gris, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

Play it safe.

If you do not know much about pairing wines, do not take a risk. Stick to the above rules and memorize some of the most traditional wine pairings, or use suggestions from our wine pairing tips.

When upselling wine, the most important thing is to satisfy the customer. It is important to seem knowledgeable and to be prepared to make good wine suggestions, but make sure servers do not condescend customers. In the end, only two things matter: making the sale and making the customer happy.

Written by Daniel Grossmann