Wine wisdom
Licensees give us insight into what has made their wine offer successful.
We talk to Murray Harris, the Bridge Pub and Dining Rooms, Barnes, London
Once a run-down boozer, the Bridge was refurbished in 2002 and turned into a gastropub with a strong focus on food and wine. The Bridge established quickly and serves more than 700 meals a week, accounting for 50% of total sales. Wine makes up 48% of wet sales.
How many wines do you have on the wine list?
A total of 77 choices including Champagne and dessert wines.
What are your house wines?
I sourced my own house red and white wines through my main supplier and we worked closely together to create something unique to the Bridge. We have six whites, six reds, two rosé wines, dessert wine, Champagne and Prosecco by the glass.
What are your most expensive wines?
White: Huia Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand 2005 - £28; Red: Nuits Saint Georges Domaine Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy, France 2002 - £47
What is your most-used merchant?
I have used McKinley Vintners for the past six years. It's important to develop good supplier relations in this business.
How is your wine list made up?
In terms of Old World/New World wines - about 50:50. I never favour one country, region or grape variety. It's important to give my guests a fair choice of wines by the glass or bottle. I categorise wines by style, e.g: "easy-drinking, no food required" or "big guys" and these headings guide customers. I have a great variation of grapes, and some crazy stuff like Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest, L Sophie "Friendly" Gruner Veltliner and Mitchelton "Parish" Shiraz-Viognier. People love the choices.
Which country offers the best value for money?
Chile has always been fantastic value for money; however South Africa is definitely producing the quality in wines priced between £13 and £20 on pub wine lists.
How do you inform customers about wine?
I don't promote by putting anything on tables - it's more by word of mouth. I target specific wines by letting my staff taste these, take notes and sell them while actually knowing what they are talking about
How do you encourage people to drink wine?
We give everyone the opportunity to taste all our wines by the glass, to make sure they are making the right choice. I also highlight the
grape varieties on my list so people know what they are getting. Too often you see French descriptions, for example Mercurey 1er Cru Domaine du Meix Foulot 2001. Most people wouldn't know the grape used is Pinot Noir, so I make this clear by adding the grape variety and highlighting the white grapes in green, and the red grapes in red.
What are your typical mark ups?
I tend to get an overall GP of 69%. Everyone's different - I could charge more, but I feel that the wines on my list are fairly-priced, and I want people to experiment and enjoy different wines. If I don't make wines accessible, I'll never sell the ones I want to sell. Of the 77 wines I have on the list, I do sell all of them - none sit dormant on the list and I want to carry on achieving this.
Murray Harris is hosting a seminar on how to choose a supplier at Wine+
