FAQ

CellarList is a marketplace for fine and rare wine in New York. Private collectors consign bottles from their cellars to licensed restaurants; the restaurants list those bottles on their wine programs; diners discover one-of-a-kind bottles at restaurants they can actually visit.

Three sides:

• Collectors — own the cellar inventory; set the per-bottle price they want; get paid when the bottle is sold.
• Restaurants — list consigned bottles on their wine programs; pay collectors directly through CellarList; pay a 10% platform fee on top.
• Diners — browse what's available, express interest, enjoy the bottle at the restaurant.

1. A collector submits bottles from their cellar through CellarList.
2. A CellarList admin reviews provenance + condition; if approved, the lot is available for consignment.
3. The collector and a restaurant agree on a consignment: the per-bottle price the collector receives, the quantity, the term. Both sides sign in-app.
4. The bottle is shipped from the collector's storage to the restaurant via a bonded courier. The restaurant confirms receipt with photos.
5. The restaurant lists the bottle on their wine program at a menu price they set freely. CellarList never reads or stores the menu price.
6. A diner discovers the bottle on the public Discover page, the restaurant's profile, or the listing detail page. They express interest; their note is forwarded to the restaurant.
7. The diner books a table directly with the restaurant. They visit, the bottle is poured, payment happens at the restaurant.
8. The restaurant marks the bottle SOLD in CellarList. Funds settle automatically — the restaurant's charge sends the collector their per-bottle price; CellarList collects its 10% fee on top.

No. CellarList is a discovery platform for what's available at restaurants. Diners never buy wine through CellarList; the legal sale of the bottle, age verification, service, and payment all happen at the restaurant on the day the bottle is poured.

• Collectors who own fine + rare bottles they'd like to see drunk well rather than sold at auction.
• Restaurants with serious wine programs whose guests value provenance + scarcity.
• Diners who care which Musigny they're drinking and at which table.

CellarList launched in New York. Consignments are currently limited to restaurants in New York and Texas. Restaurants in any US state can sign up + publish their own wine list; the consignment-marketplace functionality unlocks for NY + TX restaurants today, with more states to follow as we expand.

• Diners: no account needed to browse. Express interest in a bottle and you'll be asked for your name + email + an optional note. You'll be asked to confirm you're 21+ at signup.
• Restaurants: self-serve at /for-restaurants/signup. A CellarList admin reviews and approves; you get an email once you're in.
• Collectors: by referral or direct outreach. We're vetting collectors one at a time for the first wave. Reach out through our contact form.

No. The Discover page, restaurant profiles, and listing detail pages are public. Reserving a bottle (or following a restaurant) requires signing up — free, just email + age confirmation.

When you find a bottle you want, click "Reserve this bottle" on the listing detail page. You'll be asked to sign in — or, if it's your first time, to create a free account (email + age confirmation). After signing in you can leave an optional note (occasion, dates that work, anything you'd want the sommelier to know). Your name, email, and note are forwarded to the restaurant.

The restaurant follows up directly with you to coordinate. CellarList drops out of the thread once they reply. The reservation is for the bottle, not the table — you'll work out the table separately with the restaurant.

Almost always within 48 hours. Restaurants are notified the moment your interest comes in; the lead lands in their CellarList inbox and as an email with your direct contact.

No. CellarList is for wine to be poured at the restaurant. The bottle is the restaurant's inventory under their liquor license; it can only legally be sold by the glass or by the bottle as part of restaurant service.

Diner-facing surfaces are age-gated because they display alcohol products. You confirm in your browser the first time you visit a diner-facing page; the confirmation is per-tab, so opening the site in a new tab or browser asks again. New York state law + our Terms §2.

Collectors can choose to remain anonymous. When the listing reads "From a private NYC cellar," the collector has elected not to be named — usually because they value privacy around their cellar. Once you're at the restaurant and the bottle is poured, the sommelier can tell you anything more they're authorized to share.

If the listing reads "Available" on CellarList, the bottle is physically at the restaurant and inspected. We do our best to keep listings fresh, but the restaurant is the source of truth for service-day availability — they may have just poured it. A quick call ahead to confirm is a good idea for a special occasion.

CellarList gives you access to private-cellar inventory you can't get through a distributor. A collector consigns the bottle; you list it on your wine program at a menu price you set; you keep your standard markup; CellarList takes a 10% platform fee on top of the collector's per-bottle price. You don't pay until the bottle is sold.

• SaaS subscription: per-location monthly fee. This unlocks the ability to contact collectors + bind consignments. Restaurants without an active subscription can browse the network for free.
• Platform fee: 10% of the collector's per-bottle price (paid by the restaurant, on top of the consignment price, when the bottle sells). Default 10%, with negotiable range 5–15% per consignment.
• No fee on browse, list management, diner interest forwarding, or admin operations.

There is no cut from your menu markup. The diner-facing menu price is yours alone — CellarList never reads it.

Self-serve at /for-restaurants/signup. Fill out your restaurant details (name, address, cuisine, wine program style). A CellarList admin reviews and approves within ~24 hours; you get an email when you're in.

You can browse the discovery surface and the consignment marketplace for free. To actually contact a collector or accept a consignment, you'll need to subscribe to the per-location SaaS plan from your dashboard → Billing.

You are. CellarList does not sell alcohol; the legal sale of the bottle to the diner happens at your restaurant under your liquor license. Age verification, payment, and service all happen on-premise.

For accounting purposes:

• The wine sale (diner → restaurant) runs through your POS, your liquor license, your sales tax.
• The consignment cost (restaurant → collector) is automated through CellarList when you mark the bottle sold.
• The platform fee (restaurant → CellarList) is charged at the same moment, on top of the consignment cost.

When a collector agrees to a consignment with your restaurant, the bottle ships from their storage to you via a bonded courier (typically arrives within 5-7 business days). You confirm receipt in CellarList by uploading two photos: the bottle in your cellar, and a condition close-up. The bottle becomes available to list on your wine program the moment receipt is confirmed.

You can decline receipt within 24 hours of arrival. The bottle returns to the collector at the collector's cost. We'd love to be involved in the conversation — reach us through our contact form and we'll mediate if needed.

Log the bottle as corked from your dashboard. No charge to you; the collector is notified (corked bottles are part of the trade). You may keep the bottle in your inventory for any uses your sommelier finds (vinegar, cooking, etc.), or arrange return to the collector.

Yes. CellarList never reads, stores, or limits your menu price. You set it the same way you'd price any other bottle on your list — by glass, by bottle, with whatever markup makes sense for your room.

Yes. You can initiate a return at any time from your dashboard. Bonded courier picks up; bottle goes back to the collector. Two paths:

• Restaurant-initiated, async: you request a return, the collector approves, the courier handles pickup.
• In-person direct: if the collector is dining at your restaurant, you can hand the bottle back across the bar; mark it returned in your dashboard with a single click.

There is no minimum hold period. You can return any unsold bottle at any time. Most successful restaurants list a bottle for 4-12 weeks; some bottles sit for months. We don't track or surface "shelf age" to diners.

You do. CellarList lists the bottle on the Discover surface and on your restaurant profile page, but the wine program a diner sees at the table is yours — paper menu, app, however you serve it. Some restaurants integrate CellarList bottles into their printed list; others keep them as a separate "Cellar Selections" section.

You consign bottles from your cellar to NYC restaurants. You set the per-bottle price you want to receive. The restaurant adds their menu markup. When the bottle is sold, your per-bottle price transfers directly to your bank account; the restaurant pays a 10% platform fee on top of your price (you receive your full per-bottle price, untouched).

Nothing. CellarList takes no cut from the collector. The restaurant pays the platform fee on top of your price. The only out-of-pocket cost to you is the shipping of bottles from your storage to the restaurant (paid at consignment time, deducted from your first sale's settlement statement).

For the first wave, by referral or direct outreach. Reach out through our contact form — describe your cellar in two sentences (region focus, rough scale, storage). A CellarList admin will follow up to schedule a 15-minute call.

Once your account is active, submit a lot from your dashboard: producer, cuvée, vintage, quantity, bottle size, condition notes, and provenance notes. Upload 2-3 photos (full bottle, capsule/label close-up). A CellarList admin reviews within two business days.

We're looking for bottles a serious wine program would want on its list — aged Burgundy, off-allocation Champagne, library-release Bordeaux, cult California, mature Italian, anything large-format. We're not the right home for younger commercial wines or anything you'd find on Total Wine.

Provenance is the chain of custody of a bottle: who you bought it from, where it's been stored, when. Restaurants buying mature bottles want confidence the wine is what it says it is. Provenance notes (auction-house receipt, retailer history, storage facility name) raise approval rate + price.

No. The bottle stays in your cellar (or your storage facility) until a restaurant agrees to a consignment. At that point, a bonded courier picks up from your address and delivers to the restaurant. Both you and the restaurant photograph the bottle at handoff to document condition.

Yes. Restaurants browse the consignment marketplace and may initiate a consignment request for your bottle; you choose whether to accept. You can also initiate a consignment to a specific restaurant. Both sides have to sign for a consignment to bind.

You can request a return at any time before the bottle is listed (and after, with restaurant cooperation). Returns ship back via bonded courier; cost is split per the consignment terms. Bottles you've been holding too long in inventory don't have a forced rollover — return them whenever you want.

When a restaurant marks a bottle SOLD, your per-bottle price (the consignment price you set) is routed to your bank account automatically via a direct charge on the restaurant's payment. The transfer typically settles within 3-5 business days.

You receive:

• An email statement at the moment of sale, with the breakdown.
• A running ledger of all sales in your CellarList dashboard.
• A 1099-K from our payment processor at year-end if you cross the IRS reporting threshold.

CellarList does not provide tax advice. Our payment processor issues you a 1099-K if you cross the IRS threshold for the year. We recommend talking to an accountant about how consignment income is reported in your tax situation — proceeds from collectibles + alcohol can be tax-treatment-sensitive depending on your state and your other holdings.

By default, no. Your identity is hidden from diners and from restaurants you haven't bound a consignment with. Once a consignment is bound (both signatures), the restaurant sees the collector clause they're working with. Diners always see "From a private NYC cellar" unless you specifically opt to disclose your identity on a listing.

You see the restaurant that listed your bottle and the restaurant operator who marked it sold. You do not see the diner's name — that's the restaurant's relationship to maintain.

You set the per-bottle price you want to receive. That's the floor: the restaurant pays you that, plus the platform fee on top. There's no auction-style reserve mechanic; the price is fixed at consignment time and snapshots on the row (subsequent fee changes don't apply to in-flight consignments).

Payments run through a PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processor. CellarList does not store credit card or bank account information. Collector payouts route to the collector's connected bank account as a direct transfer from the restaurant's payment. Restaurant subscriptions are managed in your account billing page.

Yes. CellarList does not store full credit card or bank account numbers; they are held by a PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processor. The CellarList platform sees only opaque references — never raw payment data.

10% of the collector's per-bottle price, paid by the restaurant on top of the consignment cost. This is the only fee CellarList takes from the marketplace.

The fee is negotiable per consignment in a 5–15% range; the agreed percentage snapshots on the consignment row so subsequent fee changes don't apply to in-flight sales.

• Restaurants pay a per-location SaaS subscription (monthly) for marketplace access.
• Collectors pay shipping when bottles move from their storage to a restaurant (deducted from the first sale's settlement statement).
• Diners pay nothing — ever.

No buyer's premium, no auction commission, no listing fee, no withdrawal fee.

CellarList itself doesn't charge sales tax (we're not selling alcohol). When the restaurant pours and bills you for the bottle, your restaurant bill includes whatever local sales tax + tip your jurisdiction requires — same as any other restaurant meal.

• Diners: any disputes about a poured bottle are between you and the restaurant (it's their service, their MoR). Most reputable restaurants will remake a corked bottle or comp it.
• Restaurants: if a bottle arrives damaged, log it on receipt; the bottle returns to the collector and no remittance fires.
• Collectors: if a bottle is later marked corked by the restaurant, the original sale is reversed and no remittance fires.

Two ways: the 10% platform fee on collector-to-restaurant consignment sales, and the per-location SaaS subscription restaurants pay for marketplace access. We never take a fee from collectors and never charge diners.

No. CellarList never moves bottles to diners. Bottles move from collector storage to restaurants only.

No. Your bottle stays where it is until a restaurant agrees to a consignment. Then a bonded courier picks up directly from your address (home, storage facility, wherever the bottle lives) and delivers to the restaurant.

The shipping cost is rolled into the consignment terms. By default, the collector pays for outbound shipping (collector → restaurant) and the restaurant pays for any return (restaurant → collector). Both costs are deducted at sale-time settlement, never charged out-of-pocket.

A bonded common carrier (currently Brooks Bonded for NYC pickups + drops). Bonded means the courier is licensed to transport alcohol across state lines and is bonded to insure the cargo in transit. Both the collector and the restaurant receive a tracking link the moment pickup is scheduled.

Bonded couriers carry transit insurance; the courier handles the claim. CellarList helps mediate documentation if the restaurant rejects receipt due to damage. No remittance fires until the restaurant confirms receipt in acceptable condition.

No. CellarList does not warehouse bottles. Collector inventory stays in the collector's chosen storage; once consigned, it lives at the restaurant.

Yes. Each consignment is its own shipment with its own tracking. There's no bulk-store-then-distribute step — the courier moves bottles directly between two endpoints per consignment.

• Diners: clicking "Reserve this bottle" on any listing sends you to sign in, or to create a free account (name + email + age confirmation) if it's your first time.
• Restaurants: self-serve at /for-restaurants/signup.
• Collectors: by referral or our contact form.

From the sign-in page, click "Forgot your password." We email you a reset link valid for one hour.

If you're a restaurant group owner or a collector, yes — 2FA is required for the role-sensitive actions you take (binding consignments, managing payouts, recording sales). Set up TOTP or a security key from your account 2FA settings. Diners and restaurant staff who don't take role-sensitive actions don't need 2FA today.

CellarList runs on industry-standard cloud infrastructure. All traffic is HTTPS with HSTS preload. We never store full credit-card or bank-account data. Collector identity is hidden from diners and restaurants by default; the disclosure rule is detailed in our Privacy Policy.

Use our contact form. We confirm by reply, then remove your account and your row-level data. For collectors with completed sales, we retain the underlying transaction records for tax + audit purposes (1099-K requires it); your name + email come off, but the sale + payout records stay.

CellarList is a discovery + marketplace platform. We don't hold a liquor license. We don't move bottles to diners. Every legal sale of alcohol terminates at the restaurant, under the restaurant's liquor license, with age verification + payment + service all happening on-premise.

New York state law treats advertising alcohol availability as alcohol-related content. The age gate is the same logic any New York wine retailer's website uses. You confirm 21+ in your browser the first time you visit a diner-facing page; the confirmation is per-tab, so opening the site in a new tab or browser asks again.

The diner can't reserve a bottle. The age gate at signup blocks account creation; the restaurant always re-checks ID at service.

/terms

/privacy

Use our contact form. We read every message and respond within 24 hours on business days.

Privacy questions and security-disclosure reports go through the same form — note which it is in your message and it'll reach the right person.