@Bruce_Palling
GLASS HALF FULL: Diners at Noble Rot in Bloomsbury, London, benefit from a wine list with low profit margins on its most high-end offerings.
DANIEL HAMBURY/EVENING STANDARD/EYEVINE/REDUX
IT’S A SAD fact that northern European restaurateurs charge diners too much for wine. In Britain, the usual practice is to take the cost of a bottle, multiply it by three and add a 12.5 percent service fee on top. It’s common practice in Paris too, yet it’s rare that any wine in an Italian or Spanish restaurant costs significantly more than the retail price. And the times-it-by-three formula might seem almost a bargain if you compare it with what British restaurants headed by celebrity chefs often charge.