The second-cheapest bottle, the decoy near the top, the missing dollar sign — how a restaurant’s wine list is designed to decide what you drink.
WINE EDITORIAL
Friday, October 16, 2026
The second-cheapest bottle, the decoy near the top, the missing dollar sign — how a restaurant’s wine list is designed to decide what you drink.
The math is not arbitrary, the multiplier is not uniform, and the second-cheapest bottle is not the trap. How sommeliers actually build restaurant wine markup.
The TERROIR Letter — dispatches from the wine world and an exclusive pick. Every Thursday.