Seven steps, the people at each one, and roughly what each adds to the price. Markups are published ranges with their sources, never our guesses. The live numbers and paths come from the lists we read.
the market
Anything that houses natural wine, from the vine to the glass, is part of the mission. Here's the size of the room, from published estimates.
organic wine, global (wider category)
$12.9B (2024) → $42.3B (2034)
~12.7% CAGR
source: InsightAce AnalyticThird-party market research estimates, not isitfunky data. Natural wine has no single legal definition, so figures differ a lot between reports; treat them as a direction, not a fact.
vine → grower → maker → wine → importer → distributor → bar → you, and back. every profile shows its place in the chain, links up and down it, and says where each fact comes from. no prices. people pages (growers, bartenders, owners, drinkers) are opt-in and private by default. en français →
Step 1
Who: The grower, often the same family that makes the wine.
Farming the vines through the year and picking by hand. Natural wine starts here: organic or biodynamic farming, no synthetic sprays.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Step 2
Who: The winemaker, in their own cellar.
Fermenting with native yeasts, little or nothing added or removed, then ageing and bottling.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Step 3
Who: The domaine sells from the cellar door or to importers abroad.
Sets the ex-cellar price: what the bottle costs before it leaves. Every bar below starts here, at ×1.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Where we earn here: Maker commission (how).
Step 4
Who: An importer brings the wine into a country. In Québec, a private-import agency represents it and orders through the SAQ.
Chooses the producers, pays for shipping and duty (or arranges it), and sells to the next step. Their portfolio is the list we read.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Step 5
Who: In the US three-tier system, a licensed distributor sits between importer and retailer. In Québec and Ontario, the SAQ or LCBO is the wholesaler.
Holds stock, delivers, and sells to shops and venues in its state or province.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Step 6
Who: A wine shop, the SAQ or LCBO, or the bar or restaurant that pours it.
Sells the bottle on the shelf, or opens it at the table. The venue sets its own list price.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Where we earn here: Partner referral fees, Tickets and hosted nights, Pro for venues (how).
Step 7
Who: You.
What you pay by the glass or bottle, taxes in. The bars below show roughly how far it has grown from ×1.
Live counts are unavailable right now.
Where we earn here: Booking and hotel affiliates, Gift a Glass tip, POS app fee, Sponsorships (how).
Estimates, not prices. Each bar multiplies the published ranges step by step from ×1 at the cellar door. Solid is the low end, hatched the high end. Freight, duty, deposits and US sales tax are left out, so real bottles usually land higher. Numbers in brackets link to the source.
Producer → agency → SAQ (private import) → bar or restaurant → glass
Federal excise is also in the price (SAQ breakdown); not modelled here.
By the glass, a glass is often priced near what the whole bottle cost the venue.
Private imports are sold by the case through the agency; the SAQ adds its markup and a service fee per case. The tier widths apply per bottle of the supplier's price.
Producer → agent → LCBO → shelf or venue → glass
No public figure found; agents set their own.
Levies and the container deposit are also in the price; not modelled here.
Landed cost already includes freight and federal duty, which we don't model. The 2026 cost-plus rates may differ from the 2022 figure.
Producer → importer → distributor → shop or restaurant → glass
Many importers also distribute in their home state.
Sales tax is not modelled.
A restaurant buys from the distributor, so this multiple applies to the distributor price, not the shelf price.
State laws differ; this is the general shape. Overall, sources put the consumer's markup at 150% or more over the producer's price.
Producer → caviste or restaurant (often direct, no importer) → glass
Applied to the ex-cellar price, since a restaurant can buy direct.
Many French venues buy straight from the domaine or a regional agent, so there's no importer step at all.
The models, and where in the flow each one sits. Some are live, most are still being tested; none of them touch the price of the wine.
Sits at: Glass
Who pays: The booking platform or hotel, never the guest.
A reserve link or a stay near proven bars may earn a platform commission. Disclosed, and never used to choose or order places.
Sits at: Glass
Who pays: The gifter, only if they keep the optional tip.
The venue sells the glass at its own price on its own account. We earn only the optional tip on our service.
Sits at: Glass
Who pays: The guest, as an optional tip on ordering through the app.
The guest pays the venue's POS price to the venue; our optional tip rides along as an app fee. Never a cut of the drink.
Sits at: Shop / venue
Who pays: The venue, per seated guest we sent, with a monthly cap.
Off by default; only with the venue's written agreement. Clicks, no-shows and cancellations are never charged.
Sits at: Producer
Who pays: A maker of objects (ceramics, prints, clothes), never on alcohol.
A commission on attributed sales of their objects. Wine producers can't pay us for anything.
Sits at: Shop / venue
Who pays: The buyer, shown at checkout.
A flat fee per ticket or a planning fee. Where a ticket includes wine, the venue charges its regular price.
Sits at: Glass
Who pays: A sponsor, for a box labelled Sponsored.
No say over content, and never a producer, importer or distributor paying for a bar's placement.
Sits at: Shop / venue
Who pays: The venue, monthly, if it wants the tools.
Analytics, events and integrations. Listing and proof stay free forever.
The rules, for every stream
Importers, agencies and distributors appear on this site for free and pay us nothing.