Redefining the wine list
Can the traditional wine bible, encased in pungent leather and delivered by an immaculately dressed sommelier, still cut the mustard in 2025? In an age of falling consumption, beverage diversification and rapid digitalisation, that question has become extremely pertinent.
The arguments in favour of ditching leather-bound tomes for iPad-driven lists and shorter, two-page references are certainly compelling. Over the past decade, operators have witnessed a decisive shift towards casual dining, even in venues that charge over £250 a head for elaborate tasting menus featuring essence of oyster and wood-smoked venison. Nevertheless, the contemporary ethos is on delivering world-class service and food without the stiff formality and pretension that once plagued upmarket venues. In such a context, bibles may be viewed as both unnecessary and woefully anachronistic.
As a result, more and more restaurants, especially in London, have moved away from lengthy encyclopedias towards shorter, quirkier lists that can simplify matters for the vast majority of consumers who remain oblivious to wine's 'geek appeal'. At the same time, this trend for scaling down creates breathing space for non-wine and no/low options that generate much-needed revenue. And isn't that a positive thing?
Small is beautiful
“By and large, classic wine lists full of pages of expensive bottles are dead as they tend to lack focus and only appeal to a tiny percentage of people,” insists Ian Campbell, co-founder of The 10 Cases in Covent Garden. Since the business started trading in 2011, Campbell has stuck to his mantra of only ever buying 10 cases of each wine. Moreover, the margins on bottle sales have remained reasonable despite significant inflation, encouraging consumer trade-up at a time when many fine wine merchants have overflowing inventories. This may partly explain why this popular neighbourhood bistro has endured despite the tough macroeconomic environment; 2,704 hospitality businesses were declared insolvent in 2022, compared to a figure of 1,524 in 2012.
But can this approach, undeniably effective in its ability to shift stock, work for everyone? According to Dario Barbato, head of wine at the San Carlo Group: “Shorter, more concise wine lists can be more accessible and user-friendly, especially for consumers who may feel overwhelmed by extensive options. A well-curated selection highlights key wines, making it easier for diners to choose and for staff to provide knowledgeable recommendations. It strikes a balance between offering variety and maintaining simplicity, ultimately enhancing the overall dining experience.”
Stuart Bond, sommelier at the Cavendish hotel, has a similar mindset. “A shorter list which is clear, concise and understandable for both staff and customers makes it easier to sell wine,” he says. “I find the days of Britannica-style encyclopedia lists, where in order to understand the list you have to be a Master of Wine to decipher the region let alone the type of grape, are numbered.”
Meanwhile, there is no paucity of inclusive drinks lists in the market today, promoting craft beer, sake and cocktails. At Yauatcha in Soho, for example, the sommelier pioneered an innovative approach that utilised simple headings (such as Old friends, New friends and Lucky friends) that pulled the wine and spirit/beer elements of the list together. As Christine Parkinson, erstwhile wine buyer for the Hakkasan group, once observed: “It’s simply no longer true that wine is the default drink with a meal.” These iconic destinations, forthright in their desire to innovate and adapt, continue to thrive despite inflationary headwinds. A lesson for others, perhaps?
Pushback
The subject of eschewing classicism, however, remains a contentious one, despite the obvious advantages of promoting a terse wine list. Yet opponents of scaling down argue that if operators are driven and excited by wine, it should play as prominent a role as they wish it to – does every list have to be concise?
“I think there is a time and place for all types of references, sometimes a place is evidenced and some of the foundations have been built with huge tomes of wines. Whereas others benefit from a more direct approach, maybe more specialism in a particular area. These can be works of passion and expertise, really giving a great understanding about what the lists aim to achieve,” opines wine consultant Elly Owen.
“I would argue that both concise and longer lists could appeal given the right environment. Having lots of wines surely is a sommelier and customer heaven, loads to recommend, great amounts of customer choice with lots of different prices points.”
Owen also believes that, paradoxically, a more concise list put in the wrong hands “can actually seem more pretentious, and perhaps daunting given that consumers might not have heard of any of the wines before”. Indeed, non-intervention labels and esoteric grapes cannot appeal to everyone – certainly not the critical mass.
There is also the question of regionality to consider. Hipster wine bars in Dalston are a much-loved part of London's vinous landscape, however, there is a sizeable volume of more traditional restaurants outside of the capital, where customers would surely appreciate a more old-fashioned experience. “People are influenced by trends every so often but surely they eventually go back to the classic and traditional choice,” notes wine consultant David Galetti, former head sommelier at Le Gavroche. Or, as the legendary sommelier and late restaurateur Gerard Basset MS said in 2015: “Change is good but that doesn’t mean to say that all that went before is irrelevant.”
In pursuit of balance
Stuart Skea, group head sommelier at Aizle Restaurant in Edinburgh, expands upon the theme.
“There absolutely is a need and a demand for these classical tomes. The only people who enjoy shorter 'innovative' wine lists demarcated by nebulous and arbitrary stylistic genres are drinks journalists and judges of wine list competitions, interests piqued by novelty and point of difference,” he says.
He continues: “Shorter lists lead to more consumer confusion – you sell less wine and at a lower price point as these are often arranged by price, rather than geographic origin. Therefore, as your guest is unable to find Sancerre or Chablis, they order something from the first three lines or so of the list. Ultimately, it is very dependent on the venue I have to say – at Lyla we have a classically arranged list of 200 or so bins. Meanwhile, Aizle is much more concise, but I think the wine tome format of Lyla – index page, geographically arranged – is far more consumer friendly.”
Of course, there is no such thing as the “perfect” list that can please everyone all the time. Yet most sommeliers agree that, irrespective of the venue, it should be accessible, varied and well thought out, with mark-ups that encourage exploration while generating essential profit – a difficult balancing act. Above all, it should be full of exciting wines that people want to buy, delivering a healthy mix of familiar classics and esoteric drops. In our diverse and multifaceted industry there is surely room for all kinds of lists: large, terse, and biblical.
The real crime is laziness, not length.