While budgeting for your new restaurant, you likely didn’t budget for a sommelier. Although many restaurants do not have the budget for a full-time sommelier, you are certainly expected as a restaurant owner to have a half decent wine list. While this may be daunting, there is no need to run to the bookstore and purchase books from different wine making regions of the world. We’ve created a simple guide to help you build your restaurant’s wine list and save valuable time and money.
First, consider the food that you will be serving in your restaurant. If your restaurant will be Italian, you’ll want to include Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, and Lambrusco as well as some of the classics such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Merlot. If you restaurant will be serving spicy food, you may want to consider adding a Malbec, Red Zinfandel, or even a Gewurtztraminer. For a Greek restaurant, you’ll need all the classic whites: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Make sure that you choose a few popular types of reds and whites that pair with the food of your restaurant.
Next, you’ll want to consider wine storage. It simply won’t do to store your wine with the rest of the food. In fact, most wines require a specific temperature for storage. Red wines can be stored between 62-68 degrees Fahrenheit, so if your restaurant stays this cool you might get away with stocking your wine in the back. White wines require at temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit or below, but most white wines will do fine being chilled in the fridge. Sparkling wines need to be chilled when served, so make sure to keep them in the fridge right up until they are poured - and serve them in a bucket of ice.
When choosing a wine to recommend to your customers, make sure that your staff is knowledgeable of the basic flavor profiles commonly used to describe different wines. In terms of acidity, the more acidic a wine - the better it will cleanse your palate, which makes acidic wines great to serve with creamier dishes. The more oaky a wine, the more it will pair with robust, smoky flavors. Wines with a lower alcohol content typically pair well with spicier foods. Wines described as complex should be paired with more elaborate dishes. Finally, sweet wines should always be as sweet as the food they are served with.
We hope that this guide has been easy to digest and will aid you on your journey to building your restaurant’s wine list. Remember the old adage of progress, not perfection while building your list and keep in mind that there will likely be a large period of trial and error as you curate a list that will fit your guests needs.
