Restaurants Charging More For Wine, Study Finds

Here's another reason to host potlucks and dinner parties; independent firm Restaurant Sciences has found that wine prices in restaurants across the board have increased in the past six months.

Thanks to a wine grape shortage last year, the LA Times reports, the price of wine by the glass has gradually increased. The biggest increase in wine prices occurred in the family dining sector, with an 8.4 percent increase in restaurants where an average meal costs $38.50.

In fine dining establishments (with checks being as expensive as $1,000), wines by the glass increased 5.4 percent.

Of course, prices were largely unaffected in the casual and upscale casual category, where prices rose less than 2 percent in the past six months.

The study is based on more than 28 million wine orders from 5,000 restaurants (not including bars, clubs, hotels, fast-food, and fast-casual concepts). Also on the rise? Alcohol levels in wine, so you're probably paying the same amount of money for the same amount of booze coursing through your veins.