Selling wine to Michelin-starred restaurants - here’s how

homas Lorival, head sommelier and co-director of the 3-star Michelin Clos des Sens restaurant in Annecy, explains: “You need a wine list that matches the type of food and the wines need to be matured so that they are ready to drink”. He insists that his choice of wines strays away from the renowned labels, adding, “Fixed mark-ups are the worst. For local wines, even if I don’t pay that much for them, I have to sell them at a price that is consistent with that of the menus”.

Ultimately, the pricing does not really scare away buyers. Restaurateur and Greek wine importer Dyonisos Mavromatis in Paris claims that “the popular wines are the most expensive ones from Santorini, but to be fair, they are six times cheaper than their Burgundy counterparts”. Serving the wines properly is also important and Mavromatis has invested in a chiller to be able to cool the white wines instantly, including those for take-away. The issue of temperature is one that chef Jérôme Schilling at the Lalique restaurant at Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey in Sauternes also raises: “The glasses mustn’t be filled too much to start with and must be topped up afterwards”.

The primary reason for moderating consumption of wine in restaurants – and even more so for spirits – is fear of getting caught by the police, ahead of the cost and health reasons. Bottles are now being replaced by wine-by-the-glass programmes, particularly ones that pair the wines with food and offer a set price for a glass of wine with one course. At the one-star Arbore & Sens in Loches, in the Loire Valley, sommelier and owner Océane Guillot is actually surprised by how successful this offer is, with one third of her patrons now opting for this choice. Her viewpoint is shared by sommelier Christophe Hay in Blois, also in the Loire Valley. At the two-star restaurant, chef Hugo Vasseur serves six 6-cl glasses with the 6-course menu (€80 or €140 for the €180 menu). There is also the on-trend ‘soft pairing’ option where alcohol-free drinks and infusions (€45) inspired by sommelier Fabien Vuillon are paired with food at David Toutain’s two-star restaurant in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.