BTG — By the Glass: Portion Pricing and a Key Profitability Driver for Restaurants

By the Glass (BTG) refers to the practice of selling wine in individual, portion-controlled servings rather than requiring customers to purchase a full bottle. The standard pour in the United States is 5 oz (approximately 150 ml), which yields five glasses from a standard 750 ml bottle. Dessert wines are conventionally served in 2 oz portions and fortified wines such as Port or Sherry in approximately 3 oz pours. BTG programs evolved alongside the growth of American fine dining, gaining momentum as wine culture broadened in the 1980s and 1990s. The practice was further transformed by the 2013 commercial launch of the Coravin preservation system, which made it practical to offer premium and rare bottles by the glass without committing to opening a full bottle at risk of waste.

• A 750 ml bottle yields approximately 5 glasses at the 5 oz standard pour, or 4 glasses at a more generous 6 oz pour
• Coravin was invented by biomedical engineer Greg Lambrecht, who co-founded the company in 2011 and launched the first product publicly in July 2013
• Enomatic, the Italian company widely regarded as the world leader in wine dispensing systems, has been supplying the hospitality industry since 2002 and distributes its controlled-temperature dispensers in over 70 countries

BTG service is widely recognized as one of the highest-margin revenue streams available to hospitality venues. A commonly used pricing rule is to charge per glass the same dollar amount as the wholesale cost of the entire bottle. Because a standard bottle yields approximately five glasses at the 5 oz pour, this approach generates a 4-5x return on wholesale investment. Glass pours can achieve gross margins of 75-80%, compared with approximately 35% pour cost on full bottles. Beverage programs as a whole often account for 80% or more of a restaurant's gross profit dollars, and a well-curated BTG program sits at the heart of that performance.

• A glass priced at the bottle's wholesale cost recovers the full bottle investment on the first pour, with subsequent glasses contributing almost pure gross margin
• Many programs use graduated pricing, where markup percentages decrease as wine cost increases, making premium selections more accessible while protecting margin across the list
• BTG programs also accelerate inventory turnover, converting wine tied up in storage into revenue faster than a bottle-only list

Industry experience consistently shows that smaller, focused BTG lists outperform sprawling ones. The simplest viable program pairs one house red with one house white. From there, operators typically scale to two reds and two whites, adding a mid-range or premium selection alongside each house pour. Larger establishments may run four reds and four whites, while six reds and six whites is generally regarded as the practical upper limit: twelve wines is the ceiling most operators can manage profitably, because every opened bottle that is not sold fully within its freshness window represents a partial loss. Most restaurants rotate their BTG selections every three to six months, with wine bars refreshing more frequently.

• The 80/20 rule applies reliably: roughly 80% of glass pours come from just 20% of wines on the BTG list, providing a clear signal for which selections to retain or expand
• Slow-moving selections should be removed promptly, as an unopened bottle generates no revenue while a partially sold, oxidizing bottle actively erodes margin
• Popular BTG categories include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio; variety should be added only where sell-through velocity can be confidently projected

BTG pricing is not simply a matter of applying a mechanical multiplier. Two principal methods are widely used: pricing each glass at the wholesale cost of the bottle, or dividing the target bottle price by the expected number of pours. Both approaches typically converge on a similar number for standard selections. Most operators add a buffer of 15-25% above the theoretical per-glass price to absorb the reality that not every opened bottle will be fully sold. Graduated pricing, where the markup percentage tapers as the bottle cost rises, is standard practice and makes premium BTG selections feel more accessible without sacrificing absolute gross profit. Bracketing, the practice of placing a high-priced anchor selection alongside a mid-range pour, is a well-documented technique for steering guests toward the profitable middle tier.

• A target pour cost of 20-25% is a widely cited industry benchmark for BTG service, implying a 4-5x return on wholesale cost
• Research published in the Journal of Wine Economics found that offering wine by the glass is associated with a 5% price premium on bottle sales and a 12.2% higher bottle margin, demonstrating that BTG programs benefit the entire wine list
• Menu placement matters: research on menu psychology confirms that items positioned in visually prominent areas, such as the upper right or upper left of a page, attract disproportionately higher attention and sales

The profitability of BTG service is only realized through disciplined operations. Oxidation of open bottles is the primary structural threat: a re-corked bottle stored cold is typically fresh for 3-5 days, meaning low-velocity selections can become partial losses quickly. Overpour is a second major margin leak; research has found that bartenders pour measurably more into wide, short glasses than tall, slender ones due to perceptual bias, even with professional experience. Wine preservation technology addresses the oxidation problem at the premium end of the list. Coravin uses an ultra-thin argon gas needle that passes through the cork without opening the bottle, allowing wine to remain in original condition for years of subsequent pours. Enomatic dispense systems preserve opened bottles for 30 or more days under controlled temperature and inert gas, and offer programmable three-dose pour control to eliminate overpour variance.

• Coravin's system uses argon gas, replacing displaced wine with an inert barrier so no oxygen contacts the remaining wine; the cork reseals naturally after the needle is withdrawn
• Enomatic systems, distributed in over 70 countries, combine temperature control, inert gas preservation, and programmable portion sizes, making them a practical solution for high-volume BTG venues
• Even a half-ounce overpour per glass compounds into significant revenue loss over time; setting a measured dummy glass at the start of each shift is a proven mitigation technique

BTG service aligns with well-documented shifts in dining and drinking behavior. Guests who might hesitate at a full bottle commitment will readily order a glass, increasing the overall wine attachment rate. A BTG program allows guests to match wine styles to each course, explore unfamiliar regions, or simply drink less without waste. Data from digital wine menu platforms shows strong and consistent consumer interest in BTG options across price points, with the optimal range for maximizing both interest and profit typically falling in the $11-$15 bracket, though demand for pours priced at $23 and above is also well established. The National Restaurant Association's research confirms that 69% of wine drinkers say the availability of alcohol makes them more likely to choose one restaurant over another, underscoring the role of BTG programs in guest acquisition as well as profitability.

• BTG service reduces the commitment barrier that can suppress wine ordering entirely, increasing per-check wine revenue and total beverage attachment
• A well-curated BTG list signals sommelier confidence and program quality, elevating the perceived value of the full wine list and supporting bottle sales alongside glass pours
• Rotating BTG selections seasonally or quarterly keeps returning guests engaged and provides an ongoing mechanism for testing new wines before committing to full bottle inventory