Qu’avez-vous comme vin rouge? is a everyday French question meaning “What red wine do you have?” It belongs to a wider pattern, qu’avez-vous comme…? or qu’est-ce que vous avez comme…?, both meaning “what do you have in the way of…?” or, more naturally, “what do you have for…?” or simply “what…do you have?” This pattern is used constantly in restaurants, shops, markets and everyday conversation whenever someone wants to know what choices are on offer within a category.

What the phrase means

The phrase asks about a range of options inside one category, rather than about a single specific item. It is closer in spirit to “what sort of…do you have?” than to a plain “do you have…?”

Word by word:

• Qu’avez-vous – “what do you have” (formal, inverted question form)
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez – “what do you have” (standard question form, slightly less formal)
• Comme – “as”, “like”, or “in the way of”
• Vin rouge – “red wine”
• Poisson – “fish”

So qu’avez-vous comme vin rouge? literally reads as “what have you as red wine?”, which in natural English becomes “what red wine do you have?” or “what have you got in the way of red wine?”

The two main forms

Both forms mean exactly the same thing. The difference is one of register and everyday habit, not meaning.

• Qu’avez-vous comme vin rouge? – “What red wine do you have?” (formal, uses inversion of the verb and subject)
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme vin rouge? – “What red wine do you have?” (standard spoken French, very common)
• Vous avez quoi comme vin rouge? – “What red wine have you got?” (casual, spoken French, common among friends or in relaxed settings)

The inverted form with qu’avez-vous sounds more polished and is often heard from waitstaff or in slightly formal settings. The qu’est-ce que form is the one most French speakers use day to day. The vous avez quoi form is casual and puts the question word at the end, which is typical of relaxed spoken French.

Structure of the pattern

The pattern works like this:

Qu’avez-vous / Qu’est-ce que vous avez + comme + [noun or category]?

The noun after comme can be singular or plural, and no article (le, la, un, une) is used directly after comme in this construction.

• Qu’avez-vous comme dessert? – “What do you have for dessert?”
• Qu’avez-vous comme fromages? – “What cheeses do you have?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme bière? – “What beer do you have?”

Usage examples

In a restaurant

• Qu’avez-vous comme vin rouge? – “What red wine do you have?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme poisson aujourd’hui? – “What fish do you have today?”
• Qu’avez-vous comme plat du jour? – “What is today’s special?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme entrées? – “What starters do you have?”
• Vous avez quoi comme desserts maison? – “What homemade desserts have you got?”
• Qu’avez-vous comme viande, ce soir? – “What meat do you have this evening?”

In a shop or market

• Qu’avez-vous comme fromages de chèvre? – “What goat cheeses do you have?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme pain sans gluten? – “What gluten-free bread do you have?”
• Vous avez quoi comme fruits de saison? – “What seasonal fruit have you got?”
• Qu’avez-vous comme couleurs pour ce modèle? – “What colours do you have for this model?”

In a bar or café

• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme bières pression? – “What draught beers do you have?”
• Qu’avez-vous comme cocktails sans alcool? – “What non-alcoholic cocktails do you have?”
• Vous avez quoi comme jus de fruits? – “What fruit juices have you got?”

More general everyday use

• Qu’avez-vous comme options? – “What options do you have?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme forfaits? – “What plans do you have?” (for example, at a phone shop)
• Qu’avez-vous comme disponibilités cette semaine? – “What availability do you have this week?”
• Qu’est-ce que vous avez comme preuves? – “What evidence do you have?”

This last group of examples shows that the pattern is not limited to food and drink. It applies to any situation where someone is asking what falls within a given category, whether that is wine, phone plans, evidence, or free time slots.

Answering the question

Replies typically list the available items, often introduced with nous avons (“we have”) or il y a (“there is” or “there are”).

• Nous avons un bordeaux et un côtes-du-rhône – “We have a bordeaux and a côtes-du-rhône.”
• Il y a du saumon et du cabillaud – “There is salmon and cod.”
• On a du camembert, du brie et du roquefort – “We have camembert, brie and roquefort.”

Synonyms and alternative expressions

Several other phrases can replace or sit alongside qu’avez-vous comme…?, depending on the setting and how direct or formal the speaker wants to be.

• Que proposez-vous comme vin rouge? – “What do you suggest for red wine?” (more formal, often used by waitstaff)
• Quel vin rouge avez-vous? – “Which red wine do you have?” (asks about a specific item rather than a range)
• Quels sont vos vins rouges? – “What are your red wines?”
• Avez-vous du vin rouge? – “Do you have red wine?” (a yes or no question, not asking about the range)
• Que me conseillez-vous comme vin rouge? – “What red wine would you recommend?”
• Qu’est-ce qu’il y a comme poisson? – “What fish is there?” (informal alternative using il y a)

The key difference between qu’avez-vous comme…? and a phrase such as avez-vous du vin rouge? is that the first assumes there is a range of choices and asks what they are, while the second simply checks whether the item exists at all.

A note on register

Qu’avez-vous and its variants use the polite vous form, so this phrase is suited to speaking with strangers, staff, or anyone not on familiar terms. Among close friends or family, tu would replace vous, giving forms such as qu’est-ce que tu as comme…? or the very casual t’as quoi comme…?

Summary

• Qu’avez-vous comme vin rouge? and qu’est-ce que vous avez comme poisson? both mean “what red wine do you have?” and “what fish do you have?”
• The pattern is qu’avez-vous / qu’est-ce que vous avez + comme + noun, and it asks about the range of choices within a category.
• Qu’avez-vous is more formal, qu’est-ce que vous avez is standard spoken French, and vous avez quoi is casual.
• The pattern extends well beyond food and drink to any situation involving choices, such as qu’avez-vous comme options?
• Alternatives include que proposez-vous comme…?, quel/quelle…avez-vous?, and avez-vous du/de la…?, each with a slightly different emphasis.