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As more and more of us learn to appreciate just how much a great meal can be enhanced by a great bottle of wine, it is natural to want to drink the best wine with our food at the best price we can find. Unfortunately, many restaurants may not offer any of your favorite varieties from quality wine producers at a price that you can swallow. A possible way around this dilemma involves what is known in the food and beverage industry as the "Corkage Policy". If a restaurant has such a provision, you are essentially allowed to BYOB; to bring your own bottle of wine with you and pay a fee for that privilege.
Your motivations for desiring to do so may stem from the fact that you already know darn well you do not like any of the wines on the list at this establishment. Or, perhaps the occasion being celebrated over the meal is a very special one for which you have saved just the right bottle. Maybe you, or someone you are lucky enough to know, works in the wine industry or has access to an extensive cellar chock-full of marvelous selections. Why settle for (or pay for) mediocrity on a wine list when you already have access to the best?
Naturally, corkage policies vary with each and every dining establishment's policies, and sometimes those of the city government as well. There are some very quick and easy steps that you can take when attempting to BYOB into a restaurant that will ensure that your chances for doing so not just the first time, but for many happy visits after, will be greatly improved. To do all that you can in setting the stage for a warm welcome for both your bottle and your self, it is mandatory to:
CALL AND ASK PERMISSION
Showing up with your own bottle of wine, unannounced, is akin to bringing an uninvited friend along to a dinner party unannounced. Just as your host or hostess would be surprised, feeling perhaps a bit imposed upon and taken for granted, the management of a restaurant may resent the statement that you make by simply showing up assuming you and your lovely wine are welcome.
Calling in advance gives you the up-front advantage because it allows you to identify yourself as either a new or loyal patron with enough class to even know what a corkage policy is, and it demonstrates that you are considerate enough to seek their approval before you impose your request upon them. Remember that many restaurants still persist in assessing huge mark-ups on their wines, so you are really asking for permission to cut into some of the profits they hope to garner from your visit.
A simple: "Do you have a corkage policy, and if so, what is the fee, please?" is perfect once you've introduced yourself on the phone. If it is your style (and the truth), a bit of background information regarding the special occasion and the extraordinary wine may also endear you to them. Use the more personal touch at your discretion based on the degree of receptivity you feel as the conversation progresses.
DON'T DUPLICATE
If you have never eaten at this establishment, do tell them exactly what bottle of wine you are preparing to bring along. Rule Number One in almost every case is that you may not bring a wine that is already on their list. That is just terribly tacky, and you want to impress them with your refinement and graciousness. Appearing cheap is not the route to travel in this negotiation. Likewise, bringing in a low dollar, mediocre, or widely-available and easy-to-find wine will win you no friends.
SHARE THE LOVE
As soon as you are seated and greeted, make sure that your wait person notices that you have brought your own bottle along. You have every right to expect that they will offer to chill it for you if appropriate, to decant it if required, and to open and pour it for you throughout your meal. To ensure that they will keep an eye on your wine glass levels and tend to this bottle of yours as if it had come from their own list, invite your server to bring an extra glass to the table so that they may taste your selection with you. If the manager, owner, or sommelier is lurking looking interested, by all means extend a tasting invitation to them as well. You have no idea how much this simple gesture will mean to them, and you can also pride yourself on having played a part in the education of a few more wine lovers.
TIP WELL
Not only have you cut into the restaurant's profit margin by bringing your own wine, you have also taken a chunk of change out of your food server's pocket since they expect to be tipped on the total bill. Assuming you paid $10 in corkage fees and a comparable bottle of wine on their list is marked $60, and assuming you will be tipping 20% at meal's end, you have taken $10 out of your server's tip. Don't do that. Further demonstrate your class and bump up the tip to an amount on par with what you would have tipped them had you ordered from the list. Again - just another way to ensure that you and your own wines will be warmly welcomed upon your next visit and that the restaurant won't feel the need to raise the fee or banish all together an existing corkage policy.
These simple but not-so-common- sense tips should maximize your dining out experience allowing you to have the best of all worlds; the restaurant's great food paired with your great wine.
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