How much is the restaurant charging for this wine?

Why do restaurants mark up wine?

I expect to pay more for wine at a restaurant than in a shop. The price covers glassware, storage, service and rent as well as the bottle. Wine-Searcher’s Don Kavanagh told The Independent that restaurants usually aim for a gross profit of about 75% on a bottle of wine. He also explained that a familiar, widely available bottle is harder to mark up heavily than a label diners do not know. Understanding how restaurant wine markup works helps me put the price in context before deciding whether the bottle is worth it.

How should you use the markup number?

I treat the multiple as a starting point. A high multiple on a great or rare wine can still be worth it; a high multiple on a dull supermarket wine is not. I look towards less famous regions and grapes: The Independent suggests Savoie instead of Sancerre, or Mencía instead of Malbec. My guide to choosing wine from a restaurant list explains that approach, while comparing wine by the glass with a bottle helps with the order. Bringing your own is another option: check the fee first with my corkage and BYOB guide.

How does Sommo help you choose from the list?

I want to know whether I would enjoy the wine as well as what the restaurant adds to its price. With Premium, Score Menu gives every wine it reads on the list a quality score. Read more about Score Menu. Sommo also offers picks shaped by the wines you’ve rated, with results in seconds. Premium costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US; prices vary by country and store. Sommo runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, HarmonyOS and the web.

I use the markup number to frame the price, then come back to the bottle: is this a wine I want with dinner?