Wine wisdom

We ask two pubs for tips on what is driving their wine sales

The Shave Cross Inn, Shave Cross, near Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HW Tel: 01308 868358

Talking to owner, Roy Warburton

The Shave Cross Inn is nothing if not eclectic. It's a 13th-century building complete with inglenook fireplaces, small rooms, low ceilings and award-winning real ales, which won it the Regional Pub of the Year award for Dorset. Yet it's also got a rather less traditional reputation for its quality Anglo/Caribbean cooking, with a chef specially flown over from French Guyana.

No of wines on list: 30House wines: Six: a Colombard/Chardonnay and a Ruby Cabernet from Australia; a Niersteiner for people who don't really like wine much; and three Chileans from Punto de Inca: a Cabernet, a Merlot and a Chardonnay. House wines are £11.95 a bottle and all available by the glass for £3.

Most expensive wine on the list: An old vine claret from Château Segonzac for £22. We've also got an Alsace Gewurztraminer from Louis Sipp for £19.50, brilliant with anything spicy.

Main merchant: Walter Hicks in St AustellWhich regions/countries give the best value? Chile, without a doubt. They're the most popular with the customers.

What trends are you seeing? As well as the move towards Chilean, there's been a move away from French. Everyone here was pro the war in Iraq, so the French stance hit them hard.

What's the key to making wine sell? To be honest, most people come here for our real ales. Half of diners drink that with their food. We do advertise our wines quite well, both on the menu and on the rack behind the bar, though we don't have recommendations with particular dishes.

The Crooked Billet,2 Westbrook End,Newton Longville,Bucks Tel: 01908 373 936www.thebillet.co.uk​

Talking to Sommelier/co-owner, John GilchristThe Billet has been around for 350 years, but it's fair to say that it's moved on a bit. Since starting life as a farmhouse in 1665, serving ale to farm workers on their way to and from the fields, it's now a pub with serious credentials. Run by the husband-and-wife team of Emma and John Gilchrist for the last six years, she (ex Ramsay) runs the kitchen, while he is in charge of the wine and front-of-house. In 2003 they won the Good Pub Guide's Wine Pub of the Year and have acquired a reputation for being the top eatery in the Milton Keynes area. Their amazing wine list and ambitious menu attract wealthy regulars, those with something to celebrate and visitors from further afield.

Number of wines on the list: 400 - and climbing. It's hard to say no. I've been collecting 20 years and I just have a lot of fun with it.

House Wines: We don't have any - I don't agree with the term.

Wines by the glass: All 400 of our wines are offered by the glass, going right up to Pétrus at £500 a glass. Once they're open it's up to the staff to sell the rest of the bottle. Otherwise we drink what's left - even if it's a bottle of Grange.

Most expensive wine on the list: Pétrus 1989 for £1,900. We sell about two cases a year.

Most used merchant: We only use one: Anthony Byrne Fine Wines in Ramsay. Anything I want, he will source for me. I don't want to be dealing with a dozen suppliers.

Which countries/regions represent good value for money: Spain is really good at the moment, especially Castilla. It's become so unfashionable they've had to drop their prices. Plus they've started investing in their vineyards and moved away from too much oak, so places like Rioja are producing some fantastic wine now.

Most popular wines: Hard to be specific, because we recommend wines to go with the menu, and they change every month, so whatever we recommend tends to sell. But in general South Africa seems to be selling well, possibly because the local supermarkets sell a lot of it.

Trends: People are definitely drinking better quality wine. Average by-the-glass spend here is more than £10 - mainly because we offer those wines. If you offer wine of good quality, people will drink less but better.

How do you promote your wine? We make the staff drink the wine, and insist that they try everything we put in front of them. They get educated very quickly. Plus, there's a wine match for each of the 10 starters and 10 main courses. The menu and the matching wine are repeated in the wine list. That way the staff get to know all the wines and the public trust our opinion. More than half the people who eat here just ask us to pick the wine, which is good for the customers too because they end up trying wines they wouldn't normally.