Wine lists fail in two directions. Too short and they signal indifference. Too long and they signal a cellar that hasn't been pruned in a decade. The design is the difference between a list a guest enjoys reading and one they hand back.
Organization principles
By region for traditional / Old World programs, by style for modern / by-the-glass-heavy programs. Within each section, ascending by price. Producer in caps, varietal/cuvée in regular, vintage in italics, region in smaller type, price right-aligned. Bin numbers optional but helpful for service.
By the glass vs by the bottle
By-the-glass at the front of the list, presented as 'pouring now'. Six to twelve glass options is the working range. Bottles by region after. A separate page or insert for half bottles, magnums, large format.
Visual treatment
Restraint wins. Cream or off-white stock. One typeface family (a serif with multiple weights) carries the entire list. Section headers in small caps with a thin rule beneath. No flourishes. The wines are the design.
Wine list ideas to start with
- By the glass: 8 wines, 4 white / 4 red, 1 orange, 1 sparkling, 1 dessert
- Champagne / sparkling section, 8 bottles
- White Burgundy, 12 producers ascending
- Red Burgundy, 16 producers including premier and grand cru
- Bordeaux, both banks, 20 bottles
- New World Pinot Noir — Oregon and Sonoma
- Italy: Piemonte and Toscana, 30 bottles
- Half bottles and magnums, 10 each
Frequently asked
How long should a wine list be?
60–120 bottles for most independent restaurants. Below 50 reads incomplete; above 150 the curation collapses unless you have a real cellar program.
Should I list importer/distributor on the menu?
Internal only. Guests don't care, sommeliers care, and it's noise on the customer-facing list.
How often to update?
By-the-glass weekly. Bottle list quarterly with insert updates monthly when key wines run out.
Skip the design — generate yours now
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