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Chapter 3 Gastronomic Identity
and decisions include the pricing methodology (mark-up method, prime cost, contribution margins, and
cost percentages), and pricing psychology issues (odd number, below zero, zero, other than zero). Other
general requirements include aesthetic factors (food and wine variations in flavor, texture, color, shape, and
methods of preparation), the ability to produce and replicate the type of service needed and price elasticity
of items consistently. Ultimately, the final menu and wine list should reflect the needs of both internal
(servers, kitchen staff, stewarding, purchasing, and management) and external customers (guests and suppliers).
While the design of both the menu and wine list are of equal importance, the wine list design may
create additional psychological concerns for the guest. Wine lists can range from an extensive ‘‘book’’ in
an expensive leather binding to a one-time use word processed copy, or a verbal rendition of available
house wines and wines by the glass. The decision on the type of wine list has important cultural connotations
in and of itself.
For many guests, the wine list can be very intimidating. How can I select a wine from the myriad of
choices? What price should I choose? Will I appear cheap if I select a lower priced bottle or pretentious
if I select a higher priced one? What if I mispronounce the name of the wine, winemaker, or village name?
Obviously, the restaurateur’s job is to minimize the intimidation issue and create an environment of
customer engagement, potential value-added education, and create a sense of curiosity rather than intimidation
for the guest. This is not to say that the traditional large wine list is not appropriate in many
situations, but it may not be the best vehicle to sell wine in all situations, and knowing your clientele is an
important element to consider when deciding the style of wine list to create.
There are a number of ways a wine list can be structured. Most are categorized by country of origin,
by wine type (whites, reds, sparkling, and fortified), or varietals. While this is not a bad way to structure a
wine list, it doesn’t do a great job of providing an immediately identifiable relationship between the wine
styles and food styles. A second method of structuring a wine list is to organize the wines by climate zone:
cool, moderate, and warm. Within each category, the wines can be organized from the lightest to the most
powerful. This can be done either by creating the climate zone categories or arranging the wines in an
ascending order from lightest to most powerful within the traditional structure of country or region. This
method of categorization is used when creating a progressive wine list. If maintaining a varietal framework,
you would start off with a group of Rieslings organized from lightest to fullest, then Sauvignon Blancs,
and so on. For wines which do not fall within the neat and traditional wine varietal categories, you may
need to create a special category such as worldly wines, unique offerings, international favorites, or some
other terminology.
Part of the structure has to do with the length of the wine list. How long should it be? Well, that
depends on several variables. What are your competitors doing? How much storage space and financial
resources are you willing to commit? And, how much variety is sufficient for the menu and clientele? The
length factor will be closely tied to decisions regarding wine storage. Will you create an elaborate wine
cellar? At its most basic level, this decision is based on whether or not you have proper storage space
available. For a storage area to be adequate, it must maintain a constant temperature of 50–55 degrees F
(10–13 degrees C), be away from direct sunlight, and free from vibration. A wine cellar also has substantial
financial implications as you could have large sums of capital tied up in inventory for many years. Although
these considerations are beyond the scope of this text, issues relating to the time-value of money, such as
the investment potential of laying down quality wines for several years and the wine cellar investment and
maintenance are all important considerations. Most restaurants plan on short-term wine investments with
the vast majority of wines sold within 30 to 60 days.
For a 100-seat restaurant, a minimum number of wines should be about 60 or so. This number is
divided among sparkling, whites, reds, and desserts. Sixty different bottles may seem like a lot, but when
it is divided into these basic categories it is a sufficient number of bottles to provide a satisfactory level of
taste variety.
A second consideration is whether or not to include a wine item or bin number on the wine list.
This can be advantageous for several reasons. First, it lessens the chance of confusion about which bottle