Bar · pub · wine by the glass
Four wines by the glass that sell, not a list of forty
A bar sells wine by the glass, quickly, to people who have not asked for the list. It needs a red, a white, a rosé and a sparkling that hold up once open, sell at €5 or €6 and leave a margin. That is what we supply, direct from Bordeaux.
The four wines
A supple Bordeaux
Mostly merlot, two or three years old, no obvious oak. Drinks without food and holds three days once open.
A crisp dry white
Sauvignon, Entre-deux-Mers or white Bordeaux. Served at 8 °C, it is the aperitif glass.
A rosé or a clairet
From April to September, the wine that goes fastest. In winter, replace it with a second red.
Champagne or crémant
Champagne is supplied; crémant, on request, costs half as much and sells almost as well.
Four, not ten. A fifth wine that doesn't sell ends up down the sink. Add a bottle “of the moment” if your customers ask for it, and change it every month.
Bag-in-box behind the bar
For the house red and white, a 5 or 10-litre bag-in-box pours faster than a bottle, does not oxidise for six weeks and costs a quarter less per litre. The customer does not see the container: they see the glass. The page bag-in-box or bottle works out the difference on your volume. Keep bottles for the sparkling and for the wine you want to show off.
The markup
At €9 excl. VAT a bottle, six 12 cl glasses, a glass sold at €5.50 incl. VAT: the opened bottle brings in €27 excl. VAT for €9 of purchase, with no waste if you finish the bottle. The wine by the glass markup calculator does the count with your prices and your glass size, and shows what a glass lost at the end of service costs.
How we work with a bar
An order every one to two weeks, by the case of six or by bag-in-box, delivered to the bar. Trade prices with volume discounts, an invoice with recoverable VAT, delivery charges set out on the quote. The wines change with each season if you wish: we suggest, you taste, you decide. No exclusivity and no hidden minimum. The terms are those for restaurants, with fewer wines and more frequent orders.
What we are not: a cellar of forty wines for a wine bar that changes its list every week. Mostly Bordeaux, four to six wines that rotate, delivered regularly. If your concept calls for ten regions, you need another supplier as well as us.
Reply within 48 working hours. No commitment.
How many wines by the glass does a bar need?
Four are enough: a red, a white, a rosé in season, a sparkling. Beyond that, each open bottle turns over more slowly, and a bottle of red opened four days ago sells badly. A wine bar is a different trade.
Does bag-in-box show?
No, if what is in the glass is good. The customer judges what they drink, not the container under the counter. For the wine you want to show off, keep a bottle on display and serve it by the glass.
How often do you deliver?
As often as you sell, every one to two weeks for most bars. A regular order comes before a one-off order when a vintage becomes scarce.
Do you take back unsold stock?
No, neither unopened cases nor bag-in-box. Order little and often; that is also why four wines are better than ten.