So LA Times has posted some recommended protocol for corkage situations, including no brown bagging, hand over bottle to the somm on arrival, etc.
How far off the mark is this? Maybe they are talking about how to play the game in restaurants with Michelin stars?
I for one am a serial brown bagger. Should I invest in a Suckling-branded wine tote?
And ever since I handed over a cellar-temp Kirschenmann zin to a waiter and it came back from the kitchen 15 minutes later tasting like warmed over Bogle Cab I try not to let the bottle too far out of sight.
Meh, I look online. I will call only if necessary.
Check out the restaurant’s wine list online to make sure you’re not bringing a bottle on their list.
Agree.
Don’t bring a bottle you just picked up in the bargain bin at Trader Joe’s. Be respectful by bringing a serious wine. Even better, bring something unusual, rare, old, something to show that you put some thought into the choice and didn’t just grab the first bottle handy. It helps too if it’s a bottle the sommelier might enjoy tasting.
Agree you shouldn’t bring Two-Buck Chuck, but I don’t think the wine needs to be “serious” – it very much depends on the meal. And I’m bring a bottle I want to drink that would pair with the food at the restaurant; I’m not bringing a wine for the somm, though I absolutely will offer a taste, and to the waiter as well.
Bring a backup in case the first bottle is corked (it happens about 5% of the time).
Good advice, but I typically do not.
Bring the wine in an appropriate wine bag or carrier. Not cool: a paper bag or your purse.
Agree that a paper bag is trashy. Wine carriers are pretty inexpensive.
Present the bottle to the wine steward or server as you arrive, so he or she can provide the correct glassware, chill the bottle down or decant it, whatever’s appropriate. Don’t pull it out from under the table at the last minute.
99% of the time I’m expecting to pop shortly after sitting. The wine is generally at drinking temp.
If your group is bringing more than two bottles, be sure to call ahead so the sommelier is prepared with the right staff and glassware. Some restaurants allow a maximum of two or three bottles per table. It’s always good to call and discuss your needs beforehand.
I realize those are mostly higher end places, but the fees seem high, and designed to discourage corkage rather than come up with a fair deal for both the establishment and patrons. Corkage fees at those levels tell me to go elsewhere, or just have a dinner party catered at home.
Basically the articles weren’t bad except for this:
Bring the wine in an appropriate wine bag or carrier. Not cool: a paper bag or your purse.
Present the bottle to the wine steward or server as you arrive, so he or she can provide the correct glassware, chill the bottle down or decant it, whatever’s appropriate. Don’t pull it out from under the table at the last minute.
No and no.
People are already brainwashed into believing that wine tastes different from different glasses; please don’t expect me to believe that it will taste different when from a paper bag vs a plastic bag vs a leather bag. I’ll bring it in whatever I have handy thank you.
I do NOT want the server to decide what to do for me. If I want it decanted or cooled, I’ll make that decision and ask. Otherwise, it’s an easy night for them - they don’t have to provide any service at all other than glassware.
Most of the other points are pretty much common sense - e.g. always offer some to the help, double check the corkage policy on the phone before showing up as web sites aren’t always up to date, know whether they’re expecting only one bottle if you’re bringing seven bottles, etc.
As far as stopping off at TJs and picking up a bottle - if you’re willing to drink the cheap stuff from TJs, you’ve established a level of taste that calls into question why you’d go to the kind of restaurant that has corkage fees.
Don’t bring a bottle you just picked up in the bargain bin at Trader Joe’s. Be respectful by bringing a serious wine. Even better, bring something unusual, rare, old, something to show that you put some thought into the choice and didn’t just grab the first bottle handy. It helps too if it’s a bottle the sommelier might enjoy tasting.
My rule of thumb is to bring a bottle that is worth more at retail than the corkage fee, even if I have a particular fondness for a cheaper bottle. The point of corkage, to me, is that you are bringing a “special” bottle. You can buy mass produced, “ordinary” wine off of virtually any list in a place that even has a corkage policy.
Bring the wine in an appropriate wine bag or carrier. Not cool: a paper bag or your purse.
I usually bring the bottle inside a shipping box. I take the bottle out of the packaging as I leave my car and just carry the bottle into the restaurant uncovered. I’ve never had anyone comment on that practice. Why would I need to wrap the bottle inside anything at all?
I actually agree almost completely with the article. I will put myself forward as someone who has extensive experience in corkage fees in very good restaurants in all the big US cities.
I have actually made it a part of my bis dev strategy at my firm to bring expensive and rare bottles to dinners with current and prospective business partners. I have found that I can pay between let’s $200 and $500 a bottle and bring between 2 and 4 bottles to a dinner. Now I have the advantage of having an expense account to work with, but unusually bring big boy / baller wines. I always call ahead and talk to the somm. It is a sign of respect, and when I get there, or go ahead of time, I always seek them out and have a discussion about how we will drink the wine, and how it will be prepped for serving.
I don’t know many people that will pay over $750, let alone a grand or more for a bottle on a restaurant list, and at some places I have seen the same bottle from lesser vintages for over 1k on the list (especially in Miami and Vegas).
I also do this when my wife and I go out, but with a little less planning and ceremony. Bottom line: if you’re going to drink a wine that costs at least $40 or so retail, make sure the vintage isn’t on the list, and just be nice and courteous. I am shocked at how much extra stuff and comped items get thrown my way for simply being nice.
I like aged wines…and most restaurants do not have aged wines at “reasonable prices”, there are a few gems that I’m glad I know of though (1995 Gaja Sito Moresco =$50) and those places I will always buy from the list. Mostly corkage for me is at places that don’t have the range of selection (or prices/mark-ups are absurd).
