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Beverage programs need three things: restaurant sales, a good pour cost (see pour cost calculator), and a decent profit margin. Wine by the glass (WBTG) programs help with all those restaurant business KPIs. They're quite profitable. If you get the pricing right. (see average drink prices at bars, too)
But that can be tricky. You've gotta factor in sales trends and cost of goods sold. Here are some tips on how to get your WBTG program contributing to your bottom line.
Wine by the Glass Meaning
Many bars and restaurants offer wine by the glass. That means you needn’t buy the whole bottle of wine. You can buy a single glass of it-to work with a lamb wine pairing. A wine by the glass menu is often a fraction of the size of a proper wine list. For good reason:
Offering every in-house wine by the glass requires opening up every bottle of wine. Wine degrades much quicker once opened, so the potential for waste is massive. It's also a great tool for coming up with restaurant marketing ideas.
That’s also the reason why wines by the glass are pricier, per glass, than a bottle of wine. You’re paying for the risk the restaurant assumes of that opened wine going to waste.
Pricing Wine by the Glass
A single glass of wine is typically priced at 85 to 100% of the wholesale cost of the entire bottle. Most wine bottle pricing marks up wholesale bottles (see: what is wholesale) around 200 to 300%. If you acquire bottles of wine from a vendor for $12 wholesale, you’ll sell them for around $36 retail. An accepted way to price that wine by the glass is $10 to $12 per glass.
There are some exceptions to that wine by the glass formula, though.
They are:
- The bottle you’re pouring wine from is extraordinarily inexpensive. Let’s say a supplier got you some decent wine for $5 per bottle wholesale. You don’t have to follow the above formula. Price the wine by the glass at whatever minimum you’re comfortable with. Most guests won’t bat an eye at wines by the glass around $7 or $8.
- The bottle may also be so expensive that a wine by the glass priced at its wholesale amount is too high. It takes a special kind of clientele to pay $30 for a glass of wine. But that’s roughly what a wine by the glass would cost if poured from a bottle that sells retail for $100. When you encounter this situation, it’s usually a good indicator that a particular wine isn’t a great candidate to be on your wine by the glass list.
Regardless, if you must have it available by the glass, you’ll have to lower the price of the glass. And accept a smaller profit margin (see: what is margin). You can download our free profit and loss template to see what that would look like.
How Much Is a Glass of Wine at a Bar?
The average cost of a glass of wine at a bar is around $12 per glass. Though, because of the exceptions to the wine by the glass pricing rule, this is a pretty loose average. At it's based on our personal experience at wine bars and restaurants (of which we have a silly amount). $8-10 for a wine by the glass is on the cheap side. $15+ is on the expensive side.
But, of course, it all depends on the quality of the wine and the price the bar or restaurant got it for from their vendor.
Wine By The Glass: Do’s and Don’ts
Do: Consider Your Business When Pricing Wine by the Glass
There are obviously more factors to consider when pricing than wholesale cost. The specifics of your business, for example.
For bars, restaurants, and hotels, there are three big ones:
- Concept. If you’re a destination restaurant, a fine dining establishment, or any other hospitality business that depends on an association with sophistication or elegance, you can charge more. You’re not just charging for the wine in the glass, remember. You’re charging for the decor, the training, the furniture, the location. Everything that makes your concept unique. That stuff’s valuable. You'll also need to factor in your overhead expenses when setting prices. Investing in some of the best accounting software for restaurants can help here.
- Commitment to wine. If your business is committed to running a thoughtful, curated wine program, you can charge for it. Your bartenders and servers are trained in wine service. Your bar managers or sommeliers put a lot of effort into sourcing and acquiring wines. You invest in quality glassware. A commitment to wine often demands a premium.
- Clientele. This goes hand-in-hand with point 1 above. Some folks are willing to pay more for things. That’s mostly because they’re comfortable with the fact that they’re not just paying for the commodity, they’re paying for the experience. If you have an experience-driven clientele, you can charge a little more.
Figuring out price points that maximize sales while maximizing pour cost is a field of study all its own. It’s called menu engineering. It’s the art and science of turning your most profitable drinks into your most popular, and vice versa. It involves taking wine inventory frequently, and a liquor inventory sheet helps with that (see: how to make an inventory sheet).
Doing so will uncover what wines sell at what price or what bar promotions or happy hour ideas work best for your wine list. Learn how to do it. Depend on it. Learning how to price a menu unlocks your profit potential. Many restaurants with great wine lists do the same. Just make sure you know what is happy hour and the best happy hour times.
Don’t: Charge an Arm and a Leg
That said, don’t go overboard. It’s well-known that wine is marked up massively from supplier cost. Guests know they can get a $50 bottle of wine from your restaurant for $20 at a liquor store. So try not to rub their face in it.
Guests, as a whole, have given hospitality an inch when it comes to wine pricing. Don’t take a foot.
Do: Have a Small List with a Healthy Variety
Having an enormous wine by the glass list isn’t profitable. That's because:
Wine expires quickly when it’s opened. Having dozens of open bottles waiting to swirl down the drain is horrible for your pour cost.
10 wines by the glass is about the maximum unless you’re moving wine by the glass like mad. These are general guidelines. Adjust them to your individual business.
But, from the numbers we’ve crunched, a wine by the glass list of 7-10 is the sweet spot. And you gotta make those wines count. Try to hit every possible flavor profile you can. Varietals, regions, reds, whites, dry, bold, fruit, floral, etc. The key to a successful wine by the glass list is variety.
Don’t: Offer Only Familiar Wines
We see a lot of wine by the glass lists populated with the greatest hits: Robert Mondavi, Coppola, etc. Good wines, sure, but don’t go strictly for brand recognition as a sales strategy. Here's why:
One of the great things about wine by the glass is that guests can take a chance and discover something. Discoverability is a big part of upselling wine and liquor.
Maybe they’ll be interested in a whole bottle of this new elixir that has so captured their spirit. So, include some lesser-known winemakers, regions, or varietals as an LTO (see LTO meaning). Write some enticing copy. Build in the opportunity for your guests to be delighted. You’ll be surprised how often they are.
Do: Seek Out High-Value, Up-and-Coming Regions
There’s a lot of value and quality in wine from production regions that aren’t France and Italy. Look into Australia, South America, and Portugal. You’ll nab amazing wines at wholesale prices that are a fraction of the cost of typical bottles. That’ll do wonders for the affordability and accessibility of your wine by the glass menu.
Do: Embrace Psychological Pricing
Bars and restaurants can learn a lot from psychological pricing practices. Even if some don't directly apply to the foodservice industry, there are a lot of useful principles at play that can be integrated.
Wine By The Glass Menu List: Example
Having trouble putting together a wine by the glass list? It’s okay. Everyone gets winer’s block at some point.
Here are a few wines we’ve found perform particularly well by the glass. We approached this as if we were putting together a wine by the glass list of 8 wines.
- Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape
- Super Tuscan Blend
- Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
- Chilean Zinfandel
- New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
- Spätlese Riesling
- Sonoma Valley Chardonnay
There are four wines from the Americas, one from Australia/New Zealand, and three from Europe. There are five red and three white.
There are classics like a Napa cab, but also more adventurous choices like the Grenache-blend Châteauneuf-du-Pape. And it runs the gamut from light- to full-bodied and from sweet to dry.
*Chef kiss*
Best Wine By The Glass Portion Spouts
All this talk of wine by the glass has got us craving some wine by the glass. What an insane coincidence.
But, lo, we won’t just trudge forward and pour any old amount of wine into a glass. No! We’ll pour exactly one glass of wine into our glass.
How? With wine by the glass portion spouts.
Best Wine by the Glass Portion Spout, 5-Ounce: Precision Pour 5-Ounce Clear Top Wine by the Glass Portion Spout
This is the only wine by the glass portion spout on Amazon that pours in 5-ounce quantities. All the other ones will pour in 1- or 2-ounce quantities, which isn’t bad. A lot of people portion wine like that. But these are specifically made to pour wine by the glass so you won't be asking how many ounces in a wine bottle.
And they make hitting a standard wine pour a breeze. They come in a pack of 12. Nothing better than a pack of 12.
Best Wine by the Glass Portion Spout, 1-Ounce: Zerone 1 Ounce Portion Spout Stopper for Wine
The Zerone pour spouts come in packs of 6 or 12 and pours one ounce at a time. They’re kinda like liquor bottle pour spouts—which likewise help barkeeps worldwide hit their standard liquor pours—but can also be used for wine. Maybe the 5-ounce portion spout above is a little big for you.
Or you want something you can use with most liquor bottle sizes. If either, get the Zerones. We have them, we use them, we love them.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Price Wine by the Glass
BinWise is a powerful beverage inventory management software. With the help of our software, businesses can easily analyze the profit margin and the average price of a glass of wine at a restaurant. We also provide valuable information on a variety of topics. Below are answers to common questions regarding pricing wine by the glass.
What’s the Profit Margin of Wine by the Glass?
The price of a glass of wine is roughly the same as the wholesale price of the bottle. A standard bottle of wine contains 25 oz and the standard wine pour is around 5 ounces. Therefore, the profit margin of wine by the glass is roughly 400%. That being said, the profit markup of these offerings is higher compared to selling wine bottles.
Do Restaurants Offer Sparkling Wine by the Glass?
Yes. Although it’s not a common option on the WBTG menu, some restaurants also offer sparkling wine by the glass. The main problem with sparkling wine is its storage. If stored improperly, it will lose its carbonation and will not be appealing to customers. An easy way to deal with that is to have a higher price and markup compared to the average price of a glass of wine at a restaurant. That way, any losses will be compensated with a higher profit margin. Also, consider adding various cocktails with Prosecco, Cava, or other sparkling wines to the menu. This will increase the usage of sparkling wine and will decrease the inventory losses due to loss of carbonation.
How to Improve the By-the-Glass Menu?
Wine by the glass can be one of the most profitable items in a restaurant’s wine list. That’s why the offerings should often be improved. Here are a few ideas on how to do so.
- Include trendy wine brands and vintages that are in high demand;
- Rotate wines based on seasonality and changes in the main menu;
- Use a restaurant wine pricing formula to properly calculate the right price and have an optimal profit markup;
- Rearrange the wine list properly. Reserve the most eye-catching spots on the wine list for the offerings you want to sell most;
- Include both top-shelf and well offerings to have a diverse average price of a glass of wine at your restaurant.
What Is the Standard Markup for Wine by the Glass?
The standard markup for wine by the glass is usually 3-4 times the wholesale bottle price. This helps restaurants cover costs like overhead, labor, and spoilage while generating profit. Some venues may increase the markup for premium wines or wines that are difficult to source.
How Much Wine Should Be Poured for Each Glass?
A typical pour for a glass of wine ranges from 5 to 6 ounces. For a standard 750ml bottle of wine, this gives approximately 4-5 glasses per bottle. The pour size can affect the pricing strategy—smaller pours can justify a lower price, while larger pours may require a higher price to maintain margins.
Should I Use a Flat or Tiered Pricing Model for By-The-Glass Wine?
Some restaurants adopt flat pricing for all wines by the glass, which simplifies the menu for customers and makes service faster. Others prefer tiered pricing, offering a range of price points depending on the quality and rarity of the wine. Tiered pricing can help highlight premium selections while still catering to budget-conscious customers.
Should Your Restaurant Have A WBTG Program?
Having wine by the glass program is a great selling point for your restaurant and a great way to accommodate guests’ needs. And it’s a tried-and-true to make big steps toward your bar’s profitability.
But you should always consider your restaurant’s limit first before deciding on whether or not you should carry a WBTG program. Make sure you continue to study how to increase restaurant sales and invest in bar accounting software or a wine tracker so you can properly track your revenue.
Pay close attention to your maximum and minimum price for your wine glass. Because they are tied directly to your profits. If you’re struggling to find good wine bottles that fit your price limits, work with your local distributors’ sales reps for a better deal. Or find another vendor. It's important to learn how to manage cost for restaurant business and control your restaurant balance sheet to succeed.
Sometimes, the best option is to not offer the WBTG choice at all. It may just not make sense with the bar profit margin goals you’ve set for your business. But you’d be wise to try to make it work. Because when it hits, it hits big.
Once you've got your wine by the glass menu set, adjust prices on your a la carte menu, table d hote menu, or prix fixe menu to match. You may even want to look into gluten free wine brands for customer-specific needs, to expand your personal number for how much bars make.
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