Starting a wine bar takes a lot of knowledge about wine varieties, the wine making process, the different wine regions, and what makes a bar happening.

This isn't an endeavor for the average person, you must have a lot of unique knowledge bases to start a wine bar. Below are a couple of excerpts on other opinions about starting a wine bar.

"Wine and champagne bar. This kind of bar often gives guests the opportunity to taste a variety of different kinds of wines and the ability to learn more about their qualities. Wine and champagne bars tend to stay small and intimate in size and are located in more sophisticated neighborhoods.

Again, because you only need a beer and wine license to open this type of bar, your licensing fees drop considerably. Depending on the type of product you serve and the extent of your décor, you can expect to find the cost and revenues close to the amounts for a beer bar."

- June 14, 2001, Compiled By Laura Tiffany

"With no strict qualifications needed to enter the wine trade Davis explains that running a wine bar isn’t rocket science. “Running any business is about the individual and whether they want it enough. Running a wine bar is similar to many businesses that are in the public domain – being an excellent communicator is key.”

Communication is a skill you simply cannot learn. So before jumping the gun, this is where your first taste of working with the public and serving them wine, beers and spirits should begin says Davis. “Gaining the right experience before spending large sums of money is crucial. If you don’t have the academic skills that relate to purchasing, administration and book keeping it doesn’t mater – these areas can be farmed out to other people such as solicitors, lawyers and accountants.”
If you don’t have the experience, now’s the time to go and get some. A period of time spent working in a wine bar will help to focus your own plans for the business, as well as giving you an idea of what music people like to listen to, what wines and drinks they prefer and, most importantly, igve you an insight into the type of clientele you will be dealing with. Davis points out that knowing your market is vital. “You will need a knowledge of what’s happening on the street and what people in that area want as well as learning how the younger set like to relax in a wine bar.”

However, many wine bars now operate a catering element whereby high-quality food operation whereby high quality food is added to high quality drinks. To utilise this additional source of revenue you will need to either have some catering experience yourself or hire outside help, which, with a high turnover in catering positions, may be a costly alternative – so think hard about catering.
Where to start

Your starting point in a business should always be 'do I really want to do it?'. If you do and are driven by the idea then gaining some kind of experience should always be the starting point. Stephen Gould, director of recruitment and training at the Punch Pub company, one of the largest independent operators of leased and tenanted pubs in the country, says that buying a premises and starting from scratch maybe putting a lot of risk in too early. He says: “A good way to gain experience is to become a manager of a wine bar in a leased or tenanted operation, you can then also input your own ideas and judge the market before taking the plunge.”

Once that experience is in place you will have to balance the business side of things which means preparing a business plan. This will involve setting out how much money you need to fund your project, where you intend to locate and what you plan to do that is different from the other licensed premises in your area."

- Startups.co.uk