Brian Brown, Somerset West

Re “Exorbitant restaurant wine prices” (Bolander, February 17) – I feel sorry that any Bolander reader should be aghast at something which is normal industry practice – using a mark-up of 200 percent for its wine list.

Perhaps he or she does not realise that this mark-up is to pay for several factors, one of which is the investment in all the stock of wines needed to enable any customer to have the opportunity to select a wine without having to buy at a supermarket and “bring-your-own” and, of course, pay the corkage price.

It also contributes to staff training and the maintenance of the ambience, which adds to the pleasure of the food and wine served.

The reference to Platters is completely irrelevant. A good chef selects wines to complement the menu and the description of “superb” relates to the relevance of the wine in relation to the food served, or as a comparison of the wines presented on the wine list.

Judge a restaurant by the ability to get a table at short notice (good restaurants are always full) rather than a personal wine preference.