In September, bottles priced at $500 and up were just 5% of bottles sold, yet they brought in 30% of bottle wine revenue. And it isn’t a handful of big-ticket rooms: no single restaurant accounts for more than 6% of it. Your reserve list isn’t a trophy case; it’s a revenue engine. Know your top 20, keep them in stock, and make sure someone on every shift can sell them.
Typical October change vs September, beyond the calendar effect. Red wine rose and rosé fell in all 10 years.
Rosé has fallen in October every year we’ve measured, by a median 34%. Red wine has risen every year, and Nebbiolo (+16%), Pinot Noir (+11%) and the Rhône (+16%) lead. Spritzes and margaritas fade; Manhattans and bourbon climb. This October also has five Fridays and five Saturdays, worth about +7% in beverage revenue on its own. Stock reds for five big weekends, swap a rosé glass for a Syrah, and don’t count on Halloween Saturday: it runs at about 70% of a normal Saturday.
Tested on seven past Octobers using only earlier years: the method called red wine within 2%.
Across the network, red wine rose 17% from August to September while rosé fell 26%, dropping at three in four restaurants that pour it. Bottles grew 17% while glasses were flat. Bordeaux (+26%), Burgundy (+23%) and Piemonte (+18%) led. September’s guest wants to share a bottle of something serious. Make sure your list is ready for them.
September vs August, same restaurants in both months.
Year over year: cocktails +13% (Martini +30%), but beverage overall grew slower than food: beverage’s share of the check slipped a point. The second drink is where the money is.
Menu prices for the same glass barely moved, +0.1% in a month and +1.1% in a year, yet the average glass guests bought rose 5% vs last September. Glasses at $30+ are 17% of pours and 31% of glass revenue. Does your glass list have a top end?
Cocktails grew 13% year over year across the network, led by the Martini (+30%). This month, the Manhattan rose 13% while the Spritz fell 17%, and history says October pushes further: Manhattan +14%, Spritz −23%. Nail your classics before you invent another signature.
Cocktails by family, share of revenue (named classics, September):
Spirits mix, by revenue of spirit pours (where the spirit is identifiable, September):
New York guests pay $28.45 for the average glass of wine, vs $22.49 in California and $19.56 elsewhere, and 58% of NY beverage revenue is wine. Outside the coasts, spirits carry 28% of the program. Benchmark against your market, not the national average.
The typical restaurant sold 110 different wines in September. A great list is part bestseller list, part library. The bestsellers pay the bills; the library gives the list its personality and catches the guest who wants something specific. That’s often where the $500 bottles live.
“Slow” isn’t “dead.” A $40 duplicate that sells once a month is shelf space. A $600 Burgundy that sells once a month is a celebration you’d otherwise miss.
Restaurants selling at least 20 different wines in September.
Saturdays bring 1.44× an average day’s beverage revenue. Bottles are 71% of wine revenue early in the week, 65% on Saturday. With five Friday-Saturday weekends in October, the glass list is where you’ll win or lose the month.