History & Wine

Restaurant Wine Markups and Upselling: When Does Dining Out Get Too Expensive?

Are restaurant wine prices getting out of hand? And when does attentive wine service start feeling more like a sales pitch?

Read the full article on my Substack.

Dining out should be a pleasure, especially when a great bottle of wine is involved. But between restaurant wine markups, increasingly expensive wine lists, and the pressure to spend more, enjoying a nice dinner can sometimes leave you questioning exactly what you’re paying for.

As someone who spends a considerable amount of time in restaurants, both personally and professionally, I have plenty of thoughts about the relationship between wine prices, hospitality, and the overall dining experience.

For my latest Vino & Voyage Substack article, I’m taking a closer look at restaurant wine pricing and the culture of upselling. Where is the line between running a profitable restaurant and making guests feel like walking wallets?

It’s a conversation worth having, whether you’re a wine professional, restaurant owner, or simply someone who enjoys a good meal without experiencing sticker shock.

I’d love to hear what you think. Have restaurant wine prices changed how you order when dining out?

Read the full article on Vino & Voyage

One response to “Restaurant Wine Markups and Upselling: When Does Dining Out Get Too Expensive?”

  1. enchantingcrusadebd40e493c9 Avatar
    enchantingcrusadebd40e493c9

    yes, prices are out of control, especially in Miami. 4-5X markups on wine is unsustainable.

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historyandwine

Jacqueline Coleman is a Miami-based wine and travel writer who explores the culture behind the glass. For nearly a decade, she has written the monthly “Vino” column for Biscayne Times, chronicling wine through a South Florida lens and bringing readers into the stories behind producers, regions, restaurants, and the people shaping how we drink today. Her work connects wine with travel, food, history, identity, and place, treating every bottle as both a sensory experience and a starting point for a larger story. Jacqueline’s writing has appeared in publications including The Drinks Business, Men’s Journal, Luxury Guide USA,, Winetraveler.com, and other national and industry outlets. She is the Miami Ambassador for Star Wine List and has worked across wine media, judging, events, consulting, podcasting, and radio. She holds several wine certifications, including the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 Award in Wine, the International Sommelier Guild (ISG) intermediate wine certification, the U.S. Sommelier Association sommelier certification, and Florida International University’s (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Wine Business Program. She is also a Certified Sherry Wine Specialist (CSWS) through the Wine Scholar Guild, and a Champagne Specialist through the Comité Champagne. Through her editorial and consulting work, Jacqueline helps wine regions, hospitality brands, restaurants, and lifestyle publications tell stories that are educational, inviting, and rooted in culture. Based in Miami, she brings a distinct perspective to the wine world: global curiosity, local fluency, and a belief that wine should feel less intimidating and much more alive.

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