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A well-run by-the-glass wine program does a lot for a beverage operation. It allows trials on bottles guests might not commit to buying outright. It keeps open-bottle inventory moving before spoilage becomes a cost. It also gives the floor team a reason to interact with guests around wine without requiring a full bottle sale. When the pricing and selection are right, it generates some of the strongest gross margin dollars in the program.
However, a poorly managed by-the-glass wine program can do the opposite. Open bottles that sit past their window generate comp costs or are poured at a loss. Selections that do not move create deadstock that ties up capital and refrigerator space. Prices set by intuition rather than cost analysis leave margin on the table. In a wine-forward restaurant or hotel bar, the by-the-glass wine program is often where the most significant cost improvement opportunity exists.
Key Takeaway: A by the glass wine program is one of the most valuable parts of a beverage program when it is managed with the right data. Selection, pricing, open-bottle tracking, and staff training all contribute to whether by-the-glass wine generates strong margin or consistently disappoints. BinWise's SmartView Report, Last Day Sales Report, and POS-integrated depletion tracking give beverage directors the visibility to manage each of these factors in real time.
Building a By-the-Glass Selection That Actually Moves
The starting point for a profitable by the glass wine program is knowing which wines have the velocity to support an open bottle. A bottle of wine that will be consumed within two to three days of opening is a strong by-the-glass candidate. A bottle that will sit on the station for a week is a risk. Most programs make by-the-glass selection decisions based on what the sommelier or beverage director thinks will sell, which is a reasonable starting point but a limited one.
BinWise's Last Day Sales Report shows how long specific products have been in inventory and what has not been selling. For by-the-glass program management, this report identifies which open bottles are moving at the expected rate and which are accumulating days without depletion. When a wine has been open for longer than its typical window, the report surfaces it so the beverage director can make a decision: promote it as a special, build it into a pairing, or move it into a culinary application before it is a loss.
By-the-glass selection should also be reviewed seasonally. A selection built for winter service may not have the same velocity in spring and summer. The data from BinWise makes those seasonal shifts visible in advance rather than discovering them after a string of slow-moving open bottles.
Pricing By the Glass for Profit and Volume
By-the-glass pricing has two dimensions that sometimes pull against each other. If you price it too high, the volume may drop. However, pricing it too low may result in the margin not justifying the open-bottle risk. Getting it right requires knowing your cost per glass and understanding the velocity at which each wine is selling.
The standard by-the-glass pricing approach is to recover the cost of the bottle within the first one to three glasses poured. If a bottle costs $20 and your standard pour is 5 ounces (roughly five glasses per 750ml bottle), recovering cost in the first glass means pricing at $20 or above, while a first two or three glass recovery gives you more pricing flexibility while still protecting margin.
BinWise's SmartView Report is where by-the-glass pricing strategy lives. It shows what each wine is selling for, at what volume, and what the cost of goods sold looks like by product. When a by-the-glass wine is selling more than 50 glasses per month, that velocity is the signal to evaluate a price increase. The SmartView Report gives beverage directors the data to support that decision with actual sales numbers rather than intuition.
The opposite is also true. When a by-the-glass wine is moving slowly at its current price, the SmartView Report shows that before it becomes an open-bottle spoilage problem. The response might be a temporary price reduction, a staff recommendation push, or a decision to feature it differently on the menu. Having the data early means the response can be strategic rather than reactive.
Managing Open Bottles
Open-bottle management is the operational heart of a by-the-glass program. A wine that has been open for three days is not the same product it was when the bottle was first drawn. Most wines, especially lighter whites and sparkling wines, have a two to three day window. Fuller reds can hold somewhat longer, but no open bottle is indefinite.
BinWise's Last Day Sales Report tracks how long every item has been in inventory. For by-the-glass wine programs, this is the tool that prevents a sommelier from discovering a spoiled bottle mid-service. When a wine has been open past its expected window without being fully depleted, the report flags it. The beverage director can then decide how to move the remaining product: a staff tasting, a featured glass at a reduced price during off-peak hours, or a culinary use.
Preventing open-bottle waste also requires knowing which selections are likely to create it before you add them to the by-the-glass list. A wine that rarely gets ordered by the glass should not be a standing by-the-glass selection regardless of how much the team loves it. The Last Day Sales Report and SmartView velocity data together give beverage directors the information to make that selection decision based on performance rather than preference.
Staff Training and Floor Recommendations
The best data in the world does not move wine by itself. A by-the-glass wine program is only as profitable as the floor team's ability to recommend and sell it. Staff who know the wines on the by-the-glass list, understand the flavor profiles, and feel confident making recommendations will outperform staff who wait to be asked.
BinWise's reporting can support staff training in a practical way. When the SmartView Report shows a wine that is selling well and supporting a price increase, that is the wine the floor team should be pushing. When the Last Day Sales Report shows a wine that needs to move, that becomes the evening's recommendation. Staff who understand why they are recommending specific wines, and who have seen the data behind those decisions, tend to engage with the process more effectively than those who receive a generic list of specials without context.
Connecting By-the-Glass to the Broader Wine Program
A by-the-glass wine program does not operate in isolation from the rest of the wine list. Slow-moving bottle selections can be converted to by-the-glass to recover cost and generate movement on wine that would otherwise sit. High-margin bottle sales often start with a guest trying the wine by the glass first. The data from the by-the-glass program, specifically which wines move at which price points and at what velocity, informs the next wine list review.
BinWise's reporting connects all of these decisions. The SmartView Report shows by-the-glass performance alongside bottle performance. The Last Day Sales Report identifies deadstock across both programs. The Variance Report catches any open-bottle depletion that is not being recorded properly. For a beverage director managing a wine program with depth and a meaningful by-the-glass component, having all of that data in one platform is what makes the whole system manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions About By the Glass Wine Programs
Managing a by the glass wine program raises a specific set of operational questions that are distinct from bottle program management. These are the most common ones, answered directly from how BinWise's tools support each challenge.
What is a by the glass wine program?
A by the glass wine program is a curated selection of wines available for individual glass pours rather than by the bottle. It is designed to drive wine revenue without requiring guests to commit to a full bottle, to create trials on wines that might otherwise not be ordered, and to keep open-bottle inventory moving efficiently before spoilage creates a cost.
How do you price wine by the glass profitably?
Standard practice for pricing wine by-the-glass to maximize profitability is to recover the cost of the bottle within the first one to three pours. If a bottle costs $20 and generates five 5-ounce glasses, pricing the glass at $20 or above recovers the full bottle cost on the first pour, leaving the remaining glasses at near-full margin. Pricing strategy should be reviewed using actual sales velocity data rather than set once and left unchanged.
How does BinWise track open bottles in a by-the-glass wine program?
BinWise's Last Day Sales Report shows how long every product has been in inventory and whether it has been selling. For open bottles in a by-the-glass program, this report flags any wine that has been open longer than its expected window without being fully depleted, so the beverage director can take action before the bottle is a spoilage loss.
When should you raise by-the-glass prices?
BinWise's SmartView Report shows sales velocity by product so when a by-the-glass wine is selling more than 50 glasses per month, that velocity supports a price increase. If sales slow the following month, the price can be adjusted back. If they hold, the increase is sustainable. Having the velocity data makes this decision systematic rather than a guess.
What do you do with by-the-glass wine that is not selling?
The Last Day Sales Report identifies slow-moving by-the-glass selections before they become a loss. When a wine has been opened without meaningful depletion, options include a floor recommendation push, a featured glass at a temporary price, a staff tasting, or a culinary application.