Designing A Wine List
The
wine list is the primary venue for those of us in
restaurants to showcase our wares to our clients. And with
the evolution of modern technology, the internet has also
given retailers the ability to create wine lists as well,
via websites or computers kiosks in their stores. With the
constantly increasing interest in learning about wine, it
has never been more important to optimize the utility of the
wine list as an information source. But successfully
accomplishing this is no easy task. Here are some simple
suggestions to creating an approachable, reader-friendly and
effective list.
The classic wine
list is organized by region, a system that has stood the
test of time. But a more creative style that would be
appropriate in both retail stores and restaurants is to
combine casual settings with formal service – an
increasingly popular trend. One idea is to organize the list
by grape and then, within that section, organize it by the
weight of the wines, from lightest to full bodied. The plus
side to this is that your average consumer or waiter can,
with some introductory knowledge, easily find what they’re
looking for. If you have a very large list, divide it into
sections in order to reduce the intimidation factor. In a
restaurant, even people who have a decent familiarity with
wine can be very intimidated when they’re brought a
bible-sized list. Likewise, walking into even an
average-sized retail outlet and looking at rows and rows of
wines can be overwhelming. If you have a massive list,
consider dividing it based on price with the first part
being less than $5O and the balance of the list in another
section. You may also want to create a recommendations page,
displaying delicious value finds, deals or just a wine that
you find particularly exciting. In addition, I’d encourage
you to envision your wine list as something more than just a
list of wines – make it educational. Tempt people to spend
time reading your list, not just scanning it to find
something they’d like to buy. The increased availability of
fast and reasonably-priced color laser printers, along with
the addition of maps, bottle sizes, regional highlights, and
winemaker profiles offers endless creative possibilities to
make a wine list more engaging. Depending on the size of the
list, you could add in tasting notes, pairings or other
commentary for each wine.
A final
suggestion on organization and content: add a little
personality. I’ve seen some great wine lists that organize
their sections around themes. The now defunct AZ in New York
had sections divided based on the Chinese philosophy Tao Te
Ching, and used Chinese characters to symbolize different
wines. For example, the icon for thunder was used to
indicate big, fruit forward wines. Are there themes in your
own restaurant or retail venue that you could build upon
like this? You could incorporate nautical, cinematic,
sports, or literary references. Or consider some humor.
Cuvee restaurant in New Orleans added a hidden joke to their
list by making the phonetics humorous. The Alsace producer
Josmeyer under its formal description was
“YoYoYos-meyer”.
A great wine
list is more than just well organized, clever content,
though. It might seem obvious to some, but you should make
sure your wine list is clean, clear and accurate. You can
achieve clean and clear simply by having a list with an
easy-to-read size and style of font. This should be tested
by restaurants at a table with the same ambient light that
occurs during service. For retailers, make sure that your
site is viewed well by different kinds of computers and on
different operating systems. With respect to accuracy, wines
should not only be compared to the list during inventory,
but also cross-checked by someone else in the trade. Simply
ask a friend to review your list and you theirs. Everyone
needs an editor to help catch simple oversights or to point
out errors for regions they’re not so familiar with. And
this could save you future embarrassment with clients or
respected peers who could spot a mistake you might have
caught with just a bit more review.
Finally,
consider what your wine list is bound with. These days, you
aren’t limited to the traditional burgundy colored leather –
a more table-friendly binding is always welcome. And how
many times have you seen a restaurant guest knock over a
glass of water or singe the list on a table candle because
of its ungainly size? 8 by 11 inches as a size works very
well if you have a large desk to spread out on, but isn’t
very practical on a restaurant table that is already set
with your finest sliver and show plates. A smaller sized
list may mean more pages but it will add a level of comfort
when it can be held in one hand and flipped through at
leisure. As wine professionals, selling is not limited to
verbal interactions. Make your wine list – whether
leather-bound or online-read at a table or in a store – a
tool for building a stronger relationship with your clients.
Make it useful, make it educational, make it fun, and you’ll
see your clients come back for more.
