There is an element of vanity in almost everything someone does for others – this is especially true for us sommeliers and our wine list design. Here you can find out how to design a wine list.
But what distinguishes an “alright” card from a really good one? What needs to be taken into account?
Here is my attempt at an explanation:
To create a beautiful wine list, you have to find the balance between personality, vanity and agreement. Do I have a fresh, dry white wine to complement the chef’s bizarre fish dish? Can you find an earthy, muscular red wine to go with the traditional lamb dish based on your grandmother’s recipe? Is there an opulent white wine in the wine cooler that has enough power for the hearty, creamy pasta sauce?
Designing a beautiful wine list is a lot like playing matchmaker – you have to think about the personalities of the food and wine and choose the options that work best together. Or like taking your child to the playground and thinking “who would be good at playing with my son”.
The wine list should not be about the personal preferences of the chef or sommelier, nor whether the wine has been awarded a billion points… it’s about offering the guest the best options available.
The wine must go with the food – that is the essential thing
A well-designed wine list must first and foremost complement the chef’s food. In addition, the wine list is an important indicator of the style of the restaurant.
The wine list should offer options for all types of wine drinkers: in terms of price, as well as style.
Breadth and versatility are key to building an enticing wine list. Regardless of whether it’s a menu with just 15 bottles in a tiny tapas bar or a list of 3,000 items in a restaurant decorated with stars and bonnets.
Moreover, it is not very difficult to select 3,000 wines. If the cellar is big enough, it’s enough to grab one of the usual wine guides and then order and fill it up.
The trick is to choose the right one.
Basic rule: one third of the tasty sips should be fresh and crunchy, one third rich, and one third should cover everything else: specialties, unknown countries, autochthonous varieties … the chef can then indulge his vanity.
Every bottle on the list should make sense. If the drops do not match the food served, you have somehow missed the point.
Once the wines have been selected, the sommelier should find a way to make this selection understandable for every guest. If the selection is intimidating and confusing, this can lead guests to order water or – even worse – a “Hugo”.
Make sure that all important information is visible.
Avoid phrases like “smells of Cypriot wild blueberries in the morning dew”: quotes you’ve heard a thousand times are boring. And instructive. You don’t have to tell the guest what to smell.
Guests have different tastes. Not everyone knows what “wet stones” smell like.
What is important, what must be on the wine list?
- The price, currency and VAT rate are mandatory. Are in Switzerland, sorry.
- Bottle or glass contents
- Grape variety(ies)
- The correct vintage (it happens again and again and unfortunately far too often that a different vintage is served – particularly annoying at birthdays or wedding anniversaries … unfortunately I speak from personal experience)
- Country / Region / Winemaker (in this order)
- Alcohol content
PS. In my opinion, it is imperative to have at least one champagne on the menu, because champagne is usually only tapped at special moments. But I think champagne makes simple moments special – and should therefore be enjoyed more often. Tempt your guests to do so!
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