For decades, one belief has shaped the world of restaurant wine programs:
A truly serious wine list must be enormous.
A thousand labels. A cellar that feels like a cathedral. A leather-bound tome that lands on the table with the weight of a family Bible. And in the right context, that grandeur is magnificent. A deep cellar can be a monument to history, craftsmanship, and the sommelier’s lifelong devotion to the craft. But the definition of excellence is changing.
Today’s sommeliers, restaurateurs, and F&B managers are no longer choosing between “big” and “small” as a matter of ideology. They are choosing based on identity, guest psychology, operational reality, and financial strategy. This article is not intended to favour one philosophy over the other, but to bring both into focus—inviting reflection, dialogue, and new ideas on how wine programs can continue to evolve.
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A large cellar is a form of liquid history.
Like a great library, it contains far more than anyone will ever consume. Its value lies not in daily turnover, but in the knowledge that something rare, meaningful, and irreplaceable is waiting for the right moment.
There is romance in the encyclopedic list:
For collectors, the wine list is not a menu. It is a treasure map.
Used well, the Library creates awe. It offers a sense of limitless discovery that a short list simply cannot replicate.
La Maison du Temps maintains a 1,800‑label cellar spanning Burgundy back to the 1940s, complete Champagne verticals, and rare Rhône allocations. The wine list is a leather‑bound, 60‑page tome, and collectors often book months in advance specifically for access to the cellar. The sommelier team includes a dedicated cellar manager, and the restaurant moves only 8–10% of its inventory annually—by design. Here, the wine list is part of the theatre: a symbol of heritage, prestige, and deep continuity.
Why it works: The restaurant’s identity is built on timeless French gastronomy, ritual, and ceremony. The Library reinforces that world.
A small wine list is not a limitation. It is an edit.
Think of a high-end fashion boutique versus a department store. In the boutique, someone has already done the hard work of filtering the noise. What remains is intentional, personal, and confident.
Modern luxury is increasingly defined by clarity and time saved.
Guests don’t want to decode a 50-page tome. They want trust, guidance, and a sense of being looked after.
The curated list is a high-trust model: The sommelier stakes their reputation on every single label.
Where the Library impresses through scale, the Poem seduces through precision.
Nori & Ember offers a tight 45‑label list, updated every six weeks. Every bottle is chosen to echo the kitchen’s minimalist, umami‑driven style: saline whites, precise grower Champagne, elegant Jura, and light‑bodied reds. The sommelier presents the list personally, often recommending pairings without guests ever opening the menu. Inventory turns quickly, and the team knows every wine intimately.
Why it works: The restaurant’s brand is built on clarity, seasonality, and trust. A curated list amplifies that philosophy.
More and more leading restaurants are rejecting the binary choice altogether.
They are embracing the Living List.
This hybrid model typically includes:
This approach keeps operations lean while preserving the prestige and depth that serious wine lovers appreciate.
The list stays dynamic. The cellar retains its soul.
The Harbour Room maintains a core list of 70 wines, all aligned with the seasonal tasting menu. Behind the scenes, a reserve cellar of 300 bottles is available for guests who show interest or ask for something special. The core list rotates monthly, while the reserve list evolves slowly, preserving depth without overwhelming the guest. QR‑code menus allow the sommelier to update selections daily based on availability and catch-of-the-day pairings.
Why it works: The restaurant balances operational efficiency with prestige. Guests feel both guided and indulged.
Professionals know this intuitively, but the behavioural patterns are striking:
A 1,000-label list can overwhelm. A 40-label list can liberate.
The question is not “How many wines do we offer?” It is “How do guests feel when they open the list?”
A wine list must reflect:
A 1,200-label list in a 40-seat bistro makes no sense. A 40-label list in a three-star Michelin palace also makes no sense.
The wine program must be a mirror of the restaurant’s identity—not the sommelier’s ego, not tradition, not habit.
Every large cellar has ghosts.
Bottles bought on a whim. Wines that no longer fit the menu. Labels that made sense once but now sit quietly, tying up capital and collecting dust.
Curated lists reduce these ghosts. Living lists prevent them from forming.
Smaller, intentional lists often enable more ambitious BTG programs.
With modern preservation systems, restaurants can:
For many restaurants, this is where the wine program becomes truly profitable.
A 900-label list is nearly impossible for staff to master.
When staff are unsure, they default to:
A manageable list ensures total literacy. Confidence rises. Average check size follows.
The next era of wine programs will be shaped by innovation, agility, and a deeper connection with guests.
Predicting demand, optimising purchasing, and reducing dead stock.
Adjusting prices based on demand, season, or availability.
Allowing sommeliers to be more expressive and responsive.
Shorter supply chains, lower carbon footprints, and more transparency.
Authenticity, sustainability, and storytelling over prestige for prestige’s sake.
The future is not bigger or smaller. It is smarter.
A great wine list is no longer defined by how much it contains, but by how clearly it thinks.
Whether it reads like an encyclopedic library or a carefully written poem, the most successful wine programs share the same foundations:
When every wine has a role, and every recommendation has intent, volume becomes secondary.
What remains is experience. And that is what guests remember.
CRAFTING A PROFITABLE AND INNOVATIVE WINE LIST: INSPIRING IDEAS FOR SUCCESS! (PART 1)
MASTERING WINE SALES: STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH AND CONTROL – INSPIRING IDEAS FOR SUCCESS! (PART 2)
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Dominik Kozlik e.U.
78/12 Gruberstr.
4020 Linz, Autriche