When you order wine in a restaurant, you are ordering an experience. You are paying the Chef, owner, waitstaff, landlord, cleaning crew, et al. You are supplementing the glass breakage costs.

And, you will pay anywhere from two times the wholesale price of a bottle of wine to four times its wholesale. This means if you can buy your favorite pinot noir for $10 in a retail shop, that same bottle will cost anywhere from $12 to $24 (or more) at a restaurant, with an average cost of $18 for the bottle if you live in RVA.

In this week’s Richmond Wine Stock column on Richmond.com, Genevelyn Steele offers some tips on getting the best value when ordering wine at a restaurant. This includes avoiding wine by the glass and the least expensive bottle on the menu. She also endorses Enoteca Sogna for having lower-than-average wine markups.

It’s an interesting insight into restaurant business rationale for pricing their wines. Check it out, and be sure to share any tips or stories you have!