Wine list

A wine list is a menu of wine selections for purchase, typically in a restaurant setting. A restaurant may include a list of available wines on its main menu, but usually provides a separate menu just for wines. Wine lists in the form of tasting menus and wines for purchase are also offered by wineries and wine stores.

A restaurant's sommelier is usually in charge of assembling the wine list, educating the staff about wine, and assisting customers with their wine selections.

Wine lists have been found from ancient Egyptian times. [cite web | title=History of Wine | url=http://ewineplanet.com/menu.asp?id=1 | publisher=eWinePlanet.com ] Ancient wine lists were not created for the same purpose served by a menu, but rather as a means of recording inventory and administrating wine rations in a monarch's household. [cite book|title=The Origins and Ancient History of Wine|author=McGovern, Patrick E; Fleming, Stuart James; Katz, Solomon H | publisher=Routledge | year=2000 | isbn=9056995529, 9789056995522 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=aXX2UcT_yw8C&pg=PA179#PPA179,M1 | pages=179]

Organization

A wine list is typically organized into sections. A restaurant offering few selections may organize its list in two groups (red wine and white wine) whereas a larger wine list may have several sections, including any of the following:
*White wines
*Red wines
*Rosé wines
*Dessert wines
*Sections or subcategories by varietal
*Sections organized by wine-producing region or country
*Locally-produced or specialty wines

Pricing

Next to the description of each wine selection, a wine list displays the price of wine purchased by the bottle or by the glass. A wine list may also disclose a corkage fee for patrons who bring their own wine. The corkage fee is intended to cover the profit the restaurant would have earned had it sold the customer a wine.

References