How to Identify a Good or Bad Wine List in a Restaurant?

The wine list, like the menu, gives good indications of the quality and seriousness of the restaurant owner. Vinatis sheds light on the clues that betray a bad wine list.

LACK OF MANDATORY INFORMATION

According to the EEC Regulation no. 2392-89 article 40 of 24 July 1989, certain information is compulsory on the wine list. Among these elements, let us note:

The net price (service included)
The denomination, that is to say the DOP, or in the case of cuvées without DOP, the grape varieties
The quantity served (number of litres in the bottle or quantity by the glass, if applicable)
The colour of the wine
The alcohol content
The origin of wine, its provenance

If the wine list of the restaurant you are interested in does not have this information or if some of it is missing, you can already suspect a great lack of professionalism! This is the basic information, the legal minimum. A good wine list should be clear and precise so that the consumer can identify the origin of the wine without having to do further research.

If a wine is not available, this information must also be clearly indicated on the menu. It is the least we can do to guide the customer on the real choice of wine available to him.

INCOMPLETE WINE LIST

The wine list contains all the compulsory information except that some references are in fact incomplete. Sometimes the vintages are missing, sometimes the DOP and sometimes even the colour! Missing information or a 'blank wine list' does not necessarily mean that the restaurant does not have a good cellar, but it may mean that the work has been botched, or that the restaurant owner simply does not know what he has in his cellar!

The wine list is the showcase of the wineries and is a real added value for the restaurateur. As mentioned in the previous topic, the consumer should not have to look for additional information. All the necessary information should be on the list. The same applies to organic farming claims. This information should be clearly indicated on the menu.

UNTIDY WINE LIST

After a first glance at the wine list, you blink, then open your eyes again. This wine list is not uniform in its typography. The letters change writing styles, sizes, the overuse of colours completely confuses you... or worse! The card is full of spelling mistakes.

The wine list is the CV of the cellar. It must be complete, uniform and attractive! A simple wine list is highly recommended, so as not to lose the customer in an overflow of colour and artifice. As for spelling mistakes, they are just as unforgivable as mistakes on a CV. Correctly spelling an AOC, an estate or a cuvée is the minimum of respect for the winegrower. While not everyone is necessarily good with spelling, a peer reading or dictionary consultation when making the map is part of the process. As with the previous point, a poorly prepared menu shows a lack of rigour and professionalism on the part of the sommelier and restaurateur. After all, if the form is poorly done, it is a safe bet that the content is just as poor.

UNVARIED WINE LIST

The wine list offers only two or three red wines, all from Bordeaux! You had better like Bordeaux... Or you notice that the same name comes up a lot. The menu even seems to be sponsored, so much so that it dazzles you with the logos of a wine region, of the same wine actor. No doubt a big wine merchant who was able to offer the restaurant owner a good price. This list suggests that the restaurant owner was not interested in developing a varied wine list and that he was reduced to offering wines on which he made good margins and that's all. A lack of oenological interest or a lack of imagination? Probably both at the same time.

A good wine list must be elaborate and varied. Not everyone likes the same styles of wine. Without necessarily having to offer wines from all wine regions, a light and fruity red wine, another supple and fleshy, and finally a powerful and tannic wine should be suggested, so as to please a majority of customers. A good wine list should be able to suggest the same diversity of white wines.

INCONSISTENT WINE LIST

In any good restaurant, the wine list should be consistent with the menu. In the first instance, the prices of the suggested bottles should be in line with the prices of the dishes. The average restaurant bill should be taken into consideration. For a simple and convivial menu, it would make no sense to offer only fine wine and no wine by the glass. Just as it would not make sense to offer a menu consisting only of low-end wines in a gourmet restaurant!

As each restaurant has its own style and atmosphere, the wine list must also reflect this. If the menu is to be composed of good local, seasonal and organic products, it is only logical to offer regional wines from organic agriculture, or at least a large majority of them! It is not always possible to offer local wines in regions where there is little or no viticulture. This factor should be taken into consideration.

Is the restaurant specialised in seafood? Then it is only logical that the wine list should suggest a large majority of white wines. The menu and the wine list must be in harmony and balance each other. A well thought-out wine list has been carefully designed by the sommelier in collaboration with the chef.

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ORGANIC WINES

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INADEQUATE SERVICE OF THE WINE

A well-kept, complete and varied wine list is one thing, but the service is just as important and even more so! A quick glance at the glasses on your table and the wine service at the neighbouring tables will show you how serious the restaurant is about wine.

THE GLASSWARE

Do glasses really have stems? Although some restaurants are increasingly offering wine in stemless glasses, this idea did not come from a wine professional at all! Wine should be served in a stemmed glass, so as not to alter the temperature or leave fingerprints on the glass.

THE SERVING TEMPERATURE

Each type of wine has its own ideal serving temperature! For bottles of white wine or fine bubbles, an ice bucket, or at least a device to keep these wines cool, should be on the table. Just as a red wine should be served neither too hot nor too cold... If a quick glance around the room tells you that the minimum rules of wine service are not being followed, it is a safe bet that the quality will not follow.