We help restaurant operators find the hidden margin already inside their wine program — and move it onto the menu, true to the spirit of the room.
The work
Decanting opens a good wine up — gives it air, lets it show what it already has. We do the same for a program: pair a sommelier's read of the list with an operator's read of the numbers, then make the small set of moves that close the gap.
The rigor that used to belong only to groups and chains is within reach for an independent room now. We tell you where the margin is; you make the call.
How the list is built, where it's pouring, and what your guests actually reach for.
Pricing architecture, pour-cost math, by-the-glass ratios — what each bottle earns.
Ways we can work together
A 30-minute conversation, a written diagnostic, then a proposal. From there, a shape that fits the room — from a one-time audit to ongoing work across a whole group.
A one-time read of your existing program — list, BTG, a few weeks of POS — handed back as a written diagnosis and a short set of specific moves.
Includes
Four touchpoints across the year, each tied to the season — the list moves with the menu and the room.
Includes
A monthly partnership for rooms where wine is a real driver. Everything in Seasonal, plus hands-on implementation — someone executing the moves.
Includes
One concept, several rooms. We build the program once and roll it out, keeping each location true to itself.
Includes
A group with more than one brand. We work brand by brand, with a shared analytical backbone underneath.
Includes
Most rooms start with a Snapshot. If you keep going, it folds straight into a Seasonal or Annual partnership — you build on the same analysis, you don't start over. The same approach scales out to a multi-location concept or a full portfolio.
Who we work with
Not a size or a concept — an owner-operator still close to the room who wants the wine program to earn its keep. Usually that looks like:
Neighborhood rooms where the list grew by addition and was never rebuilt.
Upper-casual rooms where the by-the-glass is underpriced or the bottle ladder is flat.
Operators who inherited a program and want to know what they actually own.
Growing concepts — a second location, a sister brand — wanting one approach across rooms.
How an engagement runs
A 30-minute conversation — the room, the program, what you'd want different. No deck. If there's work worth doing, we go on.
A written one-page read of your program, built from the call and whatever you can share. Useful or it isn't — and it's free either way.
If there's real work, a written proposal with the shape that fits the room. You pick the shape, or you decline.
We operate inside the agreed cadence — check-ins, written deliverables, direct work with your staff. Nothing happens without you knowing.
A recap of what changed and what the math shows. We propose continuing only if it's worth it. If it isn't, we say so.
Read the full version → Download the one-page process (PDF) →
The question operators ask first
“How is this different from my wine rep?”
A distributor rep is paid to sell their book — that's the structure, not a knock. The wines they recommend are wines they can place.
Decanteur sells nothing: no inventory, no commissions. You pay us, and our read spans every importer in your market — built on your point-of-sale and inventory data. The read is about your program, not someone's portfolio.
30 minutes · no deck · no slides · no commitment
