How to Set Up Your Wine-by-the-Glass Program

Calculating By-The-Glass Prices

Calculating by-the-glass pricing entails developing an overall wine program strategy that includes the main wine menu as well. In developing a by-the-glass program, some key factors to consider:

• Cuisine, food styles, and food menu.
• Make-up and orientation of your primary wine menu.
• Restaurant style and décor, especially in regards to wine serving accoutrements such as glassware, carafes, dispensers, etc.
• Pricing of both food and wine menus.

Most BTG pours are between 5 to 6 ounces, depending on glassware and philosophy. That calculates to the standard 750 mL bottle serving between four 6 ounce pour glasses and five 5 ounce pour glasses (750 milliliters = 25.36 ounces). A 1.5 liter bottle serves almost eight-and-a-half 6 ounce pour glasses or ten 5 ounce pour glasses of wine.

Both sizes of bottles have residual wine left over. In calculating BTG pricing for a pour from a 3 liter fine wine cask, first take the cost to the restaurant (wholesale price) of the cask and divide by four, to calculate the cost per 750 mLs. This provides the base price with which to work with, whether further reducing the cost down to the ounce (divide again by 25.36) or using the 750 mL cost as the BTG price. Most BTG programs recoup the cost of 750 mLs within the first one to two glasses sold. Extrapolating that formula out, the cost of the fine wine cask will be recovered within the first four to five glasses sold, depending on pour size.

A 3 liters fine wine cask will serve between almost seventeen 6 ounce pour glasses and twenty 5 ounce pour glasses of fresh wine every time! Note that often 3 liter fine wine casks provide a savings compared against glass bottles, sometimes of 20% or more, and those savings can be factored into the BTG price for extra profit margin, or passed along to customers as a reward for their patronage.

For wine brands that come both in glass bottles and 3 liter fine wine casks, price your BTG offering from the glass bottle cost so as to be on par with your primary wine menu, recoup extra margin, and protect your profits if you must resort to using the glass-bottled wine to fill in your BTG servings if necessary.