The Metrics You Should Be Tracking on Your Wine List
Average ticket, rotation, margin per bottle, wine by the glass... Discover the 7 key metrics that tell you whether your wine list is performing or losing money without you knowing.
Introduction
Most restaurants manage their wine list by intuition. References are added because they appeal, removed when stock runs out, and prices adjusted by guesswork. But a wine list is a commercial asset, and as such, it should be measured. If you do not measure, you do not know what works. And if you do not know what works, you cannot improve. In this article we present the 7 key metrics every restaurant should track to know if their wine list is performing or leaving money on the table. ---
1. Average wine ticket
The most basic and most revealing metric: how much does each table spend on wine on average? - If the average wine ticket is low, it may mean your list does not invite exploration, entry prices are too low, or the front-of-house team is not actively suggesting wine. - If it is high but total wine sales are low, you may only be selling to tables that already know what they want. Goal: that the average wine ticket grows steadily without forcing it — through better list design, better recommendations, and a smarter by-the-glass offering. ---
2. Bottles sold per service
How many bottles are sold on average during a lunch service? And during dinner? Which day of the week sees the most wine sales? This metric lets you: - Detect consumption patterns by time slot and day. - Adjust staffing and service preparation. - Identify services where wine practically does not exist (and why). A restaurant with 40 covers per service that sells 4 bottles has a problem. And it is not always that "people do not drink wine anymore." ---
3. Rotation by reference
Not all references on your list need to sell equally, but none should go months without moving. Rotation by reference tells you: - Which wines sell well and deserve to stay. - Which wines are taking up space without adding value. - Which wines need a push (better position on the list, waiter suggestion, pairing). Rule of thumb: if a wine has gone more than 3 months without selling a single unit, something is wrong. Either the price, the position, or it simply does not belong. ---
4. Wine by the glass share
Wine by the glass is one of the most powerful sales levers in hospitality. But many restaurants do not measure what percentage of their wine sales comes from glasses. - A low glass share may indicate a poor, expensive, or poorly visible by-the-glass offering. - A high glass share may be an opportunity to increase the ticket by proposing bottles to tables that have already ordered glasses. Key fact: the margin on wine by the glass is usually significantly higher than by the bottle. If you are not leveraging it, you are leaving margin on the table. ---
5. Best-selling price range
In which price bracket are your sales concentrated? | Range | Typical % of sales | |-------|-------------------| | Under 20 euros | Too high? Your list is not encouraging upselling | | 20-35 euros | Ideal zone for most restaurants | | 35-55 euros | Healthy if you have the clientele for it | | 55+ euros | Should exist but does not need to rotate much | If 80% of your sales are in the lowest range, your list is not doing its job. It is not about eliminating cheap wines but about creating a price ladder that invites guests to trade up. ---
6. Gross margin per bottle
Selling a bottle that leaves 8 euros is not the same as one that leaves 22 euros. But if you only look at the selling price, you do not see the difference. Gross margin per bottle lets you: - Identify which wines are truly profitable (not just the most expensive). - Detect wines with good margins that are not selling enough. - Decide which references to promote and which to replace. Tip: cross this metric with rotation. A wine with good margin AND good rotation is your star. A wine with good margin but no rotation is a missed opportunity. ---
7. Most viewed vs. most sold wines
If you have a digital wine list, this metric is pure gold. It tells you which wines the guest looks at versus which they actually order. - A wine that is viewed a lot but rarely sold has a problem with price, description, or positioning. - A wine that is rarely viewed but sells when it is seen needs more visibility. This information lets you optimize your list like a web page: move elements, adjust descriptions, and test what works best. ---
Conclusion
The difference between a restaurant that manages its list by intuition and one that does it with data is not subtle: it is the difference between losing margin every week and optimizing it every month. ---
How Winerim helps
Winerim centralizes all these metrics in one place: - Sales dashboard with average ticket, rotation, and margin per reference. - Visual price map to detect gaps and imbalances. - Automatic list analysis that identifies problems and proposes improvements. - Viewing data on digital lists to know what the guest is looking at. You do not need spreadsheets or data analysis experience. Just connect your list and start making decisions with real information. ---