Setting up a wine list

[sjw_11]

I don't think the 15 straight vintages of Grange etc is aimed at the likes of you or I Polymer, or even, with all due respect, to the likes of Felix either...

After all, this is a restaurant which plays host to headlines like these:
"CASINO mogul James Packer took sister Gretel out to dinner at the swish Rockpool Bar & Grill last night to seal the deal on their billion dollar business separation"

[Polymer]

I don't think it is aimed at anyone..Those happen because they still have bottles left...(My guess).

It isn't just Grange that is like that..some of the wines are good but nothing crazy...5 vintages of Lakes Folly Chardonnay? 7 Vintages of Wendouree Cab Malbec in mostly off years?

Maybe they're trying to build a variety but it doesn't look like it...often the great years might be there at astronomical prices and the rest left are generally the less good years...

It could be they're targeting customers that want to buy 10 vintages of one wine at a restaurant but not sure that is all that common..

[dave vino]

Could be catering for the Anniversary/Special occasion types.

[Mark Jappe]

If you can find a reasonably priced quality Chablis, I would suggest that it is hard to go wrong with that over the warmer months.

[maybs]

I feel like a lot of the time, with wines like Wendouree, maybe they are trying to trade on the cult status of the label and can get away with lesser vintages because people just see Wendouree and think cool I will have that. Bit odd though as you would think if someone was that keen to order Wendouree, they would have an idea of vintages.

With the grange surely they are just aiming at heavy hitters who are celebrating a deal or get a bit drunk and go crazy, or the wealthy anniversary crowd. I was at a Christmas lunch with a few of the heavy hitters from up here last year and after a few bottles of 'normal' stuff, you know around the $100-$150 mark on the wine list, two of the guys ordered a few $800+ bottles of Bordeaux (which they paid for themselves thank god).

I was horrified (still drank it) but just goes to show you there are people who will buy it, and the restaurants obviously get a killer mark up on it.

[Polymer]

But I think you could have a few vintages of a wine and still get the same thing across...

Having many many vintages...I dunno..maybe a somm can come in and comment..is that intentional (they try to keep up 10+ vintages of a single wine) or if it because that is just how it ends up being...

But either way, I agree with Felix in that if I were creating a list at a restaurant that is starting up, I wouldn't be buying 15 different vintages of something when virtually the same thing can be accomplished in other ways (having say a few vintages of certain special wines instead of man) and the extra money being used to buy other wines...Now, if my list grew that way over time, that's fine..

[one_twelve112]

Yeah the winelist looks a little Dan Murphy's/BWS or Vintage Cellars and quite staid to be honest. This makes it hard to make margin on the products without compromising the consumers perception of value.
My suggestion would be to get in touch with some wine wholesalers and find some better wines, with less retail exposure to build your list around, and then add a sprinkling of stuff that is floor stocked with the aforementioned big boys.

[Polymer]

what type of margin do you think you can get away with for wines that are a bit more commonly found vs. less common?

[Hacker]

But either way, I agree with Felix

My gosh, hell must have frozen over

[felixp]

could be.... getting colder and colder up here!!!!!

[dave vino]

Could this be the start of something beautiful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuifzgehtAI

[maybs]

Yeah the winelist looks a little Dan Murphy's/BWS or Vintage Cellars and quite staid to be honest. This makes it hard to make margin on the products without compromising the consumers perception of value.
My suggestion would be to get in touch with some wine wholesalers and find some better wines, with less retail exposure to build your list around, and then add a sprinkling of stuff that is floor stocked with the aforementioned big boys.

Is this (fairly blunt) code for put random unusual stuff on your list so you can rip them off? Because that is kind of one of my pet peeves. It's pretty obvious and pretty annoying.