How to write a wine list for a small restaurant.

Start with a short list

A short list is easier to sell, easier to store and easier for staff to learn. One way to start (an example, not a rule):

• 4 to 6 wines by the glass: a sparkling, two whites, a rosé and two reds.
• 10 to 20 bottles, covering the same styles at a few price levels.
• One or two dessert wines, if you serve desserts that suit them.

Choose wines that go with your food. A seafood menu needs more crisp whites. A grill house needs more reds with some weight. Taste each wine with a couple of your dishes before it goes on the list.

By the glass or by the bottle

Wine by the glass lets guests try something new without committing to a bottle. It also helps a table where one person wants white and another wants red.

The risk is waste. Once a bottle is open, it doesn't keep for long. Offer by the glass only the wines you sell steadily, and keep the rest bottle-only. If a glass wine isn't selling, swap it for one that is.

Always show the pour size next to the glass price. In the US, a 5 oz pour is common, which gives about five glasses from a standard 750 ml bottle. In the UK, still wine by the glass must be sold in 125 ml or 175 ml measures, or multiples of those, according to GOV.UK.

Group the wines so guests can find their way

Many guests skim a wine list for the section that matches what they want. Pick a grouping and use it on the whole list:

1. By style. For example: Sparkling, Light and crisp whites, Rich whites, Rosé, Light reds, Bold reds, Sweet. This is the easiest for guests who don't know wine regions.
2. By country or region. This suits a place built around one country's food, such as an Italian restaurant listing wines by region.
3. By color, then by price. Simple and clear, though it says less about taste.

Within each group, list wines from lowest to highest price. Guests can then find their budget without searching.

What each line should say

Give every wine the same details, in the same order:

• Producer (the winery)
• Wine name or grape
• Region
• Vintage (the year), for wines where it matters
• Prices, with glass and bottle in separate columns

A few words on taste help guests who don't know the grape. Keep it to a short phrase.

Here's an example of two lines:

Update the vintage when the year changes. Some guests check the bottle against the list.

How restaurants usually price wine

There's no single rule, but there are common patterns. A VinePair article published in September 2026 asked seven sommeliers about their markups. Some patterns they described:

• By the glass: the traditional habit is to charge "one glass at the bottle's wholesale price," meaning the first glass pays for the bottle.
• By the bottle: one sommelier described markups of "two-and-a-half to four times the original price."
• Cheaper vs pricier bottles: "bottles with a lower initial price receive higher markups, whereas the costs of already-expensive bottles are just slightly raised."

Here's a worked example. You buy a bottle for $12. Using the first-glass habit, a 5 oz glass sells for $12. Five glasses bring in $60 if the whole bottle sells. Sold as a bottle at three times cost, it's $36 on the list.

Treat these as starting points. Our guide to pricing a menu item shows the same check for food. Check what nearby restaurants charge, and work out what you keep after waste. If an open bottle often goes unsold, the glass price needs to cover that. A smaller markup on your more expensive bottles can make them easier to sell.

Keep the list accurate

A wine list goes out of date in small ways: a bottle sells out, a vintage changes or a supplier raises a price. Guests notice when the wine they ordered isn't available or the year on the bottle doesn't match the list.

• Remove sold-out wines right away, or mark them as gone.
• Check the list whenever a delivery arrives.
• Ask staff to tell one person when something runs out.

A wine list kept on a phone-friendly page is quick to fix. In Menupresso you can put each wine in a section for its style and add price options such as "Glass 5 oz" and "Bottle" on the same line. A wine that's sold out can be hidden with one switch and shown again when it's back. The QR code stays the same, so printed cards keep working. If your drinks list is growing, our article on when to split your menu covers giving it its own menu. See also our page on QR menus for bars.