Wine Focus: How to compile a wine list
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Compiling a wine list can be a daunting task as it depends on marrying the needs of a varied customer base to the bewildering array of wines available.
You only have to wander down the wine aisle of the supermarket to recognise that these are rather exciting times for British wine drinkers. The wine sector is now a very broad church where European Old World wines from France and Germany rub shoulders with innovative wines from Australia, floral tipples from New Zealand, robust reds from South America and even sparkling wines from England - all wines that wouldn't have been on the supermarket shelf 10 years ago.
Faced with such a wide choice, and with new wines and trends seemingly arriving every week, licensees are met with a daunting task when it comes to compiling a wine list and ensuring it meets the needs of an increasingly varied customer base.
In compiling a good list and range, licensees will ideally allow the customer, whether that is the most wary and confused novice or the most knowledgeable expert, to make a confident and well-informed choice.
How long should a wine list be? While there are no hard and fast rules, the general industry consensus is that around a dozen wines is an ideal number for a wine list. For bars with a strong wine following this number could be extended further, while for community pubs with an embryonic wine trade, fewer may be advisable. Generally, a dozen wines is about right as this allows publicans the option of offering different price points, with examples from the Old World and the New, in red and white and a variety of styles.
Research has shown that pub-goers make their wine choice within 15 seconds, so a long-winded wine list is counter productive and only acts to confuse and intimidate. Longer wine lists should therefore be reserved for outlets where wine plays a strong role.
How should the wines be listed? Wines can be listed in a number of ways including red/white split, price, style and country of origin. Traditionally, supermarkets have sold wine by country of origin while pubs have normally listed their range in terms of price and typically a red and white list. However, licensees may like to take a leaf out of the book of Unwins, the off-trade wine group which has decided to categorise its wines by taste profile. Each of its Phillips Newman stores is divided into six sections: bright, smooth and rounded for white; fruity, mellow and chunky for red.
Ian McLernon, marketing director for Unwins, said: "From the consumers' perspective, it is the taste and style of wine which determines choice, so we threw out the rule book and asked customers how they buy wine and how they describe the products they love."
Why not introduce a similarly simple set of categories that help customers understand the taste profiles? Such as light and easy, medium and fruity and full-bodied. Place red and white wine in all categories. This is very helpful for drinkers and encourages them to try different wines and also moves people away from choosing the cheapest wine and relying on the house red or white - often a disguised call for help.
In terms of price, consumers see a narrow price range as indicating a lack of variety and hence a poor choice. What is more, a tight price range fails to encourage drinkers to trade up and gives the impression that the list lacks structure.
How many should be offered by the glass?
While wine bars and food-led pubs can afford to offer a wide range of wines by the glass, town centre circuit bars and community pubs must ensure that if they do offer wines by the individual glass it doesn't adversely affect the quality of the wine.
To reduce the risk in the eyes of the consumer, pubs looking to promote their wine offering should either offer "buy two glasses and get the rest of the bottle free" promotions or stock a number of wines available in 187ml or 250ml mini-bottles.
New World or Old World and what about brands?
The Publican's research - carried out by Taylor Nelson Sofres - confirmed that brand name was the most important factor that influenced a customer's wine choice.
In terms of the favoured brands, both consumers and publicans pinpointed Jacob's Creek as the most desirable brand name, ahead of Blossom Hill and Hardy's.
As you can see, New World wine brands are favoured by many thanks to a perception of good value, prominent brands and easy to pronounce names.
However, French wine and other Old World countries are very versatile and still extremely popular, especially among older and more informed customers. Therefore, especially for food-led pubs and wine bars, the traditional wine-making countries should still boast a strong presence on any wine list.
We shouldn't be too focused on brands though. They are an important part of the portfolio, but the grape variety, such as merlot and chardonnay, are powerful brands in their own right.
Licensees should ensure that the pub wine list encompasses a number of different varieties. Shiraz/syrah, merlot and cabernet sauvignon in red and chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio in white. Depending on the importance of wine in your outlet, this list could also stretch to encompass lesser known grape names.
How should the wines be described?
This is an area where the type of outlet is extremely important. Those outlets for whom wine plays second fiddle to beer and spirits, such as community pubs and YPVs, should keep the list short and simple yet informative and avoid the kind of excessively flowery language that can intimidate. Keep things cheerful and light-hearted but not flippant, as this may undermine your wine offering in the eyes of more clued-up customers.
To keep descriptions as succinct as possible, some pubs use letters or numbers as a key for sweetness for white and body for red. Certainly, food-led pubs should suggest the kind of dish with which the wine works well while wine bars should assume a certain level of customer knowledge and pitch the descriptions accordingly.
If you would like further advice on your wine list please contact Jacob's Creek on 020 8538 4499 or Waverley on 08705 737823.
Case study: The Bay, Denton Mills, Carlisle, Cumbria
The Bay in Cumbria is a newly-opened, modern style bar boasting a strong emphasis on wine.
With a customer base of 25 to 35-year-old professionals with high disposable incomes, owner Ron Wood expects The Bay to top 1,000 cases in its opening year. In order to meet these grape expectations, Ron has compiled an impressive wine list. The Publican caught up with him to talk about how he went about this.
- What advice do you have for licensees looking to improve their wine offering?
Use the suppliers. I rely heavily on the advice of the suppliers such as Waverley - they give you a good steer on what is selling well and have a lot of expertise at their fingertips.
How many wines do you have on your list and how are they presented to the customer?
We have around two dozen varieties, ranging from a French Vin de Pays to a Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label champagne.
The wines are divided into several different categories. The whites are segregated into three sub-categories of style: crisp dry whites, fruity dry whites and medium fruity blush.
The reds, meanwhile, are split into light-b
