Picture this: you're serving wine at €8 per glass, thinking you're making decent profit, but haven't actually calculated the true cost per pour. Many restaurant owners guess their wine pricing, often charging too little and eroding their beverage margins. Here's how to calculate the exact cost price per glass from any 75cl bottle.
The basic formula for wine per glass
A standard wine glass contains 125ml or 150ml. Most restaurants use 150ml as the standard serving size.
💡 Example:
You buy a bottle of Chardonnay for €8.50 (75cl).
- Bottle volume: 750ml
- Glasses per bottle (at 150ml): 750 ÷ 150 = 5 glasses
- Cost price per glass: €8.50 ÷ 5 = €1.70
Cost price per glass: €1.70
Calculate different glass sizes
Not all restaurants use 150ml. Here you can see the calculation for different sizes:
- 125ml glasses: 750 ÷ 125 = 6 glasses per bottle
- 150ml glasses: 750 ÷ 150 = 5 glasses per bottle
- 175ml glasses: 750 ÷ 175 = 4.3 glasses per bottle
⚠️ Note:
With 175ml glasses you won't get 5 full glasses from a bottle. Calculate with 4 glasses to avoid waste.
Wine margin and selling price calculation
Restaurants typically use different margins for wine versus food. A standard 'pour cost' (wine's version of food cost) runs between 18-25%.
💡 Example selling price calculation:
Cost price per glass: €1.70. Desired pour cost: 20%
- Minimum selling price excl. VAT: €1.70 ÷ 0.20 = €8.50
- Selling price incl. 21% VAT: €8.50 × 1.21 = €10.29
- Rounded on menu: €10.50
Actual pour cost: €1.70 ÷ (€10.50 ÷ 1.21) = 19.6%
⚠️ Note:
Alcoholic beverages carry 21% VAT, not 9% like food. Don't forget this in your calculation.
Account for waste and spillage
Something most kitchen managers discover too late: some wine always gets lost through spillage, tasting, or bottles that don't empty completely. Factor in 10-15% waste for accurate costing.
- Without waste: 5 glasses per bottle
- With 10% waste: 4.5 glasses per bottle
- With 15% waste: 4.25 glasses per bottle
💡 Example with waste:
Chardonnay bottle €8.50, with 10% waste:
- Glasses per bottle: 4.5 (instead of 5)
- Cost price per glass: €8.50 ÷ 4.5 = €1.89
- Difference: €0.19 per glass extra
At 100 glasses per week: €19 difference
Optimize your wine list calculations
A food cost calculator system helps you record all wines with their cost prices. You'll immediately see your pour cost per wine and can quickly calculate new selling prices if suppliers adjust their pricing.
These systems automatically calculate with correct VAT rates and account for different glass sizes you set.
How do you calculate the cost price per glass? (step by step)
Determine your standard glass size
Choose between 125ml, 150ml or 175ml per glass. Most restaurants use 150ml as the standard serving size.
Calculate number of glasses per bottle
Divide 750ml by your glass size. At 150ml you get 5 glasses per bottle. Calculate with 10% waste for spillage and tasting.
Divide the bottle price by number of glasses
Divide your cost price by the number of glasses. A bottle of €8.50 at 4.5 glasses (with waste): €8.50 ÷ 4.5 = €1.89 per glass.
✨ Pro tip
Track your pour costs on your top 5 wines every 6 weeks. If suppliers raise bottle prices but you don't adjust glass prices, you're quietly losing €50-200 monthly without realizing it.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
How many glasses do I get from a 75cl bottle?
With 150ml glasses you get 5 glasses from a bottle. With 125ml glasses it's 6 glasses. Always account for 10-15% waste for spillage and tasting.
What is a normal pour cost for wine?
A standard pour cost runs between 18-25%. This is lower than food cost because wine requires less processing than food preparation.
Should I include VAT in my wine price calculation?
Yes, but always calculate first excl. VAT then add 21% VAT. Alcoholic beverages carry 21% VAT, not 9% like food items.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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