Are your house wines value for money?

As customers spend their money more wisely during the economic downturn, restaurateurs must respond by ensuring their wine list includes a choice of house wines that are great value for money and good quality, warns the Academy of Food & Wine.

Paul Breach, the Academy's director of strategy & communications said: "Restaurateurs could also offer more wines by the glass – perhaps even consider selling wine by the carafe.

"If a customer orders a house wine, they are putting their trust into that restaurant to give them something that is decent to drink at a reasonable price. If the house wine isn't up to scratch then that customer could be lost to the business.

"Restaurateurs need to work with their suppliers – or make the most of purchasing deals offered through associations like the Academy – to find wines that are interesting and that can be sold at a good price but with a decent mark-up too."

Master sommelier Gerard Basset MW, MS, the proprietor of Hotel TerraVina in Hampshire and chair of the Academy's technical committee, believes that the term house wine has been all but destroyed by operators selling poor quality wines.

He advises restaurateurs to have some well chosen entry-level wines at reasonable prices: "During the credit crunch people are looking at spending their money well, they don't want to waste it, whether it is a £15 bottle of wine or a £100 bottle of wine, it has to be value for money."

Words: Clare Riley

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