Frequently Asked Questions

VYNOR is a sommelier-led wine reservation marketplace. You can search for a specific bottle by producer, vintage, or region, see which partner restaurants currently have it in their cellar, and book a table with direct sommelier confirmation.

Enter a producer name, wine label, vintage, grape, or region into the search bar. VYNOR searches across partner restaurant cellars and shows you every available match along with pricing, critic scores, tasting notes, and drinking windows.

Yes. When you find a bottle you want, select the restaurant and request a reservation. The restaurant sommelier reviews the request and confirms your booking directly, holding the bottle for your visit.

Creating an account and searching for wines is free. A refundable 12% deposit on the bottle price is collected at booking time (plus standard Stripe processing fees). The deposit is applied as credit toward your bill at the restaurant when you arrive.

The deposit exists to guarantee commitment on both sides: you reserve a specific bottle, and the sommelier takes it off the floor until your visit. The deposit is applied to your final bill, so in practice you pay nothing extra for using VYNOR if you complete the reservation.

If you cancel within the cancellation window or the sommelier declines the request, the deposit authorization is released and no charge is completed on your card. If you cancel after the window or no-show, the deposit may be forfeited according to the restaurant policy shown at booking time.

If the sommelier cannot fulfill the specific bottle you requested — for example, the last bottle was sold between browsing and booking — they will decline the reservation and the deposit hold is released. No charge is completed on your card.

Yes. You can add multiple bottles to a single reservation. The deposit is calculated against the total bottle price, and the sommelier confirms all bottles together as part of one booking.

The deposit is 12% of the bottle price shown on the restaurant listing, plus a standard Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30). You will see the full breakdown before you confirm.

No. Restaurants pay nothing to use VYNOR. The platform fee is charged entirely to the guest at booking time as a refundable deposit, and restaurants receive no payout from VYNOR. This keeps restaurants neutral about which platform a guest uses to book.

Each restaurant on VYNOR is represented by one or more sommeliers. When you request a bottle, the sommelier who represents that restaurant personally reviews and confirms your booking. After confirmation, you can message them directly via WhatsApp about corkage, pairings, or pre-dinner questions.

Yes. Once your reservation is confirmed, VYNOR connects you with the sommelier via WhatsApp. This is the best channel for special requests, decanting preferences, pairings, or any pre-service questions.

Most clients join VYNOR by redeeming a personal invite code from a sommelier they already know or have met at a restaurant. This creates a direct relationship with that sommelier, who may share their curated selections and private allocations with you.

When a sommelier invites a client, the client joins as "known" by default — the sommelier sees reservation activity but not the client's email address. "Trusted" is an elevated status the sommelier may grant, which unlocks direct email contact. Both tiers can browse and book the same wines.

Yes. VYNOR offers a concierge program for hotel and travel professionals who reserve bottles and tables on behalf of clients. Concierges can search, request, and coordinate with sommeliers in the same flow as direct guests.

Restaurants can apply through the "For Restaurants" page. A sommelier creates the restaurant profile on the platform; additional sommeliers from the same venue can join using a restaurant join code. Once onboarded, the sommelier team manages the wine list, availability, and inbound reservation requests.

VYNOR features wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Napa Valley, Tuscany, and Piedmont, with coverage expanding regularly. Each region page shows the currently available bottles and partner restaurants in that area.

Wine details — critic scores from Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Decanter, James Suckling, and Burghound, plus tasting notes and drinking windows — are curated from industry-standard databases and enriched by the VYNOR team. Pricing and availability are set by each partner restaurant.

Yes. The bottle price you see on VYNOR matches the restaurant's list price. VYNOR does not mark up the wine — restaurants set their own pricing.

You can still search for any wine, and VYNOR will tell you if a partner restaurant currently carries it. If no partner has the bottle you want, the search result lets you know so you can try another vintage, producer, or restaurant.

All payments on VYNOR are processed through Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment provider used by millions of businesses worldwide. VYNOR never stores your raw card details.

For reservation or account issues, email support@vynor.com. For partnerships, press, or restaurant onboarding, email hi@vynor.com. You can also reach the team through the Contact page.