Venue · estate · house wine list
Selling your own wine at your venue: the short list and the corkage fee
A venue that hosts thirty weddings a year sells three thousand bottles, or lets three thousand in. Both are decided in the contract: a house list of six to ten wines at prices couples accept, and a corkage fee worded without ambiguity for those who bring their own. Here are both, with the figures.
The house list: short, readable, well kept
A venue is not a wine shop. It needs a list that the couple reads in five minutes and that the caterer serves without a second thought: a red and a white at two levels, a rosé, a sparkling, possibly a sweet wine for the foie gras. Eight wines, all from Bordeaux plus one from Champagne, cover 95% of requests.
| Use | Wine | Purchase incl. VAT | Sale to the couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinks reception | Dry white Bordeaux, Entre-deux-Mers | €7 to €9 | €14 to €18 |
| Drinks reception, summer | Rosé or clairet | €7 to €9 | €14 to €18 |
| Meal, level 1 | Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes | €8 to €11 | €16 to €22 |
| Meal, level 2 | Cru bourgeois, Saint-Émilion satellite | €14 to €20 | €28 to €40 |
| Toast and party | Champagne | €24 to €32 | €45 to €60 |
| Foie gras, dessert | Sauternes or Loupiac, half bottle | €10 to €18 | €20 to €35 |
A markup of about 2, service included: that is what couples compare with the price of the same wine at their local wine shop, and what they accept. Above 2.5, they bring their own.
Corkage: three ways to word it
The couple who bring their own wine are not a problem, they're a planned-for case. What causes problems is a contract that doesn't say clearly what is charged. The corkage calculator shows what the couple sees; it's up to you to choose the formula that makes the comparison honest.
Per bottle opened
€6 to €12 per bottle of wine, €12 to €18 per bottle of sparkling, counted at the end from the empty bottles. The couple know what they're paying, you don't charge for cases that leave unopened.
Flat fee per guest
€4 to €8 per person, service and glasses included, whatever the wine. Easy to budget, but it penalises the couple who drink little and favours the one who brings fifteen cases.
Free above a threshold
No fee if the couple take the champagne or the wine for the meal from you. You keep the most profitable item, they keep the freedom on the rest.
In all three cases, write down in black and white what is included: service, glassware, chilling, storage the day before. A wedding outdoors or at the estate also raises the question of chilling, and the couple need to know whether your cold room is available.
Restocking, event by event
A venue doesn't need to store a whole season. The wine is ordered per event, on the quantities agreed with the couple, and delivered in the week of the wedding, to your storeroom. A back-up stock of two cases per wine covers the unexpected. If your caterer prefers to handle the purchase, the wine for caterers page describes that set-up: the venue sets the list, the caterer orders and invoices, everyone serves the same thing.
How it works
You describe the venue: number of events per year, average size, current list or not, usual caterers. Transvins, Bordeaux wine merchant (négociant) since 1986, proposes a short list with two options per line, prices excl. and incl. VAT, delivery costs, within 48 working hours. You set your selling prices, we deliver for each event or as back-up stock, with no annual commitment and no exclusivity.
Reply within 48 working hours. No commitment.
How many wines should a venue's list have?
Six to ten. A red and a white at two levels, a rosé, a champagne, a sweet wine in half bottles. Beyond that, the couple hesitate, the caterer picks the wrong bottle and the stock sits idle. Special requests are handled on a quote, event by event.
What markup do couples accept on the venue's wine?
Around 2 on the wine shop price, service included. The couple compare with what they know, and corkage gives them the alternative: if your €40 bottle costs €15 at the wine shop and corkage is €8, they'll bring their own and you'll know about it.
Should corkage be charged on unopened bottles?
No, and the contract should say so. A fee on cases that leave unopened is the first source of disputes after the wedding. Count the empty bottles, with the caterer, at the end of the evening.
Do you deliver for each event or once a season?
Whichever you prefer. Most venues order per event, in the week of the wedding, and keep a back-up stock. A season's order on a pallet costs less in shipping but ties up stock and cash for six months.