08/08/09 Restaurant Wine Prices

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are answering a question from the email. Recently a listener wrote to ask "why are restaurant wine prices so high? I can buy that same wine in the grocery store for at least fifty percent less." Okay! Today let's take a look at restaurant wine pricing. So you think you are paying too much for a glass or a bottle of wine in a restaurant? The listener claims he can purchase the same wine on the retail shelf for less. My answer to that is - then - try something new, something that is not so readily available through the normal retail channels. Many restaurants offer wines the wineries produce only in small amounts and thus do not allow the distributors to sell them anywhere but in restaurants. Those familiar wines are usually there for just that reason  because they are popular and some guests are uncomfortable taking a chance on a wine they don't recognize. Also, stop to realize we aren't just buying a bottle of wine. We are also buying the ambience, the fact that the restaurant has shopped, stored and chilled the wine for us, and usually provides a very glass for us to drink from  oh and did I mention they do the glass washing. Besides if you really think about it we actually pay for bottled water and what do you think is the mark up on a lattee'? I ask you - Who amongst them do you think is ripping you off the most? Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.