This depend on the venue – how much space they have and how much of their busines model relies on wine sales. For smaller venues, I’d recommend having a short list but do monthly specials and deep dive into areas or grapes. In summer, put together a seasonal selection of rosés from different parts of the world. At Christmas do some port specials. If you’re in a wine producing region such as Kent or Oxfordshire, look to do a specials menu of local wines.

Cheapest to most expensive is still the best way to go as customers understand it. But you could provide sections within this. Rather than section the list by country, I’d choose a different categorisation as it encourages people to go out of their comfort zone and creates interest. For example, you could section by landscapes as they produce different wine types – coastal (Kent, Chile) or mountainous (Napa in California) are options.

For more expensive wines, reconsider the standard three or four times mark-up and go lower. You’ll still make a profit but customers are more likely to try something different if it’s not prohibitively expensive and you’ll gain a reputation for being fair on price.

Words are not always the solution. A simple key, illustrating the type of fl avours which a wine might off er, level of sugar, whether the wine is made using organic grapes, and a country flag can provide more intrigue and appeal to diners who are more visual.

Make the list attractive – lots of text is off -putting. Consider tasters and 75ml wine flights where customers can try three varieties of a single grape. At home most people haven’t tried wines side by side, so it makes going out an experience. Bring out special glassware when serving your top wines. It creates a special event for customers.

By the glass is a sure-fire way to sell more and with the new wine preservation technology available such as Coravin, you can offer anything by the glass. It doesn’t have to be just the most popular, cheaper wines. If you don’t have someone to sell wines and pairings to customers, I’d recommend getting advice from an expert like your wine supplier and putting suggestions beside each dish. It’s less intimidating for customers as they can digest the information in their own time and you’re likely to sell more.