Folks - HOW DO YOU DO IT ???

[R_Frankel]

A few points to add here –

– Social group events I’ve participated in are entirely BYOB affairs (Northern California) for the reasons as well laid out above. In fact I bring wine to just about any restaurant meal I attend!
– Just last night we had a wonderful event at a modest local Italian restaurant (a lot of Italian wine was brought, supported by a glorious cast of European producers that people brought for fun). Total dinner cost was $40 per person – an amazing deal.

• As someone who participates in corporate entertainment, most of my experiences with buying more expensive (>$200) wines in restaurants are associated with hosting clients. Some of my biggest disappointments have been paying up for some gorgeous wine that nobody at the table appreciates. So, I’ve learned to scale my spending for the degree of interest at the table. For example, I’ve hosted events in which everyone was really impressed with an $80 bottle bought at the restaurant.

[David_Glasser]

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

But I agree that expense account dinners and trophy bottles that are priced NOT to sell, just so the restaurant can keep them on the list, are the main reasons you see those pricey bottles on restaurant lists.

[CFu]

@David Glasser

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

But I agree that expense account dinners and trophy bottles that are priced NOT to sell, just so the restaurant can keep them on the list, are the main reasons you see those pricey bottles on restaurant lists.

medical device manufacturers!

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

@David Glasser

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

Yeah, let me know about the next Pharma-picks-up-the-tab aged Margaux dinner. I’ll use whatever they’re selling and operate on waitstaff between courses if they like!

[Ken_V]

@Glenn L e v i n e

@David Glasser

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

Yeah, let me know about the next Pharma-picks-up-the-tab aged Margaux dinner. I’ll use whatever they’re selling and operate on waitstaff between courses if they like!

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

I cut some muthaf*cka they uncork a good 86.

[Alan_Eden]

What happens if you buy a wine now for $100 and in five years when you come to drink the wine it retails for $500 s the too expensive to drink ?

It would be $1500 on a wine list

Are you drinking a $500 wine or a $100 wine ?

[Ramon_C]

@Glenn L e v i n e

@David Glasser

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

Yeah, let me know about the next Pharma-picks-up-the-tab aged Margaux dinner. I’ll use whatever they’re selling and operate on waitstaff between courses if they like!

Asia, Glenn, Asia … that’s the ticket. I know of a major Pharma-type in a country in Asia that organizes and picks up all tabs just to wine-and-dine doctors and takes them on junket-type trips to Europe, N America and Asia. I know the drug-rep person who travels with the docs.

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

Everyone is basically the same inside, I can work both sides of The Pacific for aged Margaux.

[John_Morris]

@dbailey

@Robert Sand

@dbailey

As Chris wrote, pretty much everything we do in London is BYOB at restaurants that are wine friendly. The insanity of buying off the list at >4x mark ups is what lead me to start a wine collection in the first place.

I´ve been in London (and many other places) several times - and I always wondered who for Gods sake is buying all these expensive bottles off the wine list ? Someone has to - otherwise it wouldn´t be there.

Plenty of incredibly wealthy people in London for whom several thousand dollars for a bottle of wine at lunch is an irrelevance.

Are business meals fully deductible there, Dan? I had the impression that, whether for cultural or tax reasons, expense account spending was greater there. When lived here circa 2000, there were regular stories in the tabloids about bankers laying out tens of thousands of pounds for big dinners and old Petrus/DRC/Mouton (fill in the blank).

[Chris_Blum]

@Charlie Fu

@David Glasser

@Chris Seiber

Pharma rep takes the doctors out to Morton’s and buys the bottle of Chateau Margaux off the list,

The pharma-sponsored doctor dinner is a thing of the past. Don’t you know, we’re so easily influenced that they can’t even give us free pens any more.

But I agree that expense account dinners and trophy bottles that are priced NOT to sell, just so the restaurant can keep them on the list, are the main reasons you see those pricey bottles on restaurant lists.

medical device manufacturers!

Also gone the way of the dodo, at least if Medtronic reps are any indication. A friend talks about how their expense accounts are severely limited for alcohol.

[Eric_Sch]

We have had lots of events and the only time it was totally off the list was at the very fairly priced Ambonnay here in town. Everything else is BYO.

We have a wine dinner this weekend in a private room at a local restaurant. They comp the room for the party and gave us discounted corkage. We’re doing a 3 course meal including a prime rib carving station along with fresh local oysters and some other treats.

The menu is $33 + $13/btl = $46/pp, or under $100 for a couple. All of us love to have an excuse to bust out interesting bottles, as well as enjoy the company. A couple seats available for anyone near PDX on Sunday

[David_Glasser]

@Ramon Cabrera

@Glenn L e v i n e

Asia, Glenn, Asia … that’s the ticket. I know of a major Pharma-type in a country in Asia that organizes and picks up all tabs just to wine-and-dine doctors and takes them on junket-type trips to Europe, N America and Asia. I know the drug-rep person who travels with the docs.

Yup, we still get treated like royalty in Asia.

[Ken_V]

What’s the question?

[Chris_Blum]

Serious answer…I think that depending on where you live in America, a $500 dinner can either be a splurge or a ridiculous extravagance.

[John_Ammons]

@Charlie Fu

I think your whole perception is wrong, it’s really rare that the wines being drunk at dinners posted on this board are purchased off the list. Almost all byob

Yep, and I still find myself wondering how folks afford those wines!

[Jonathan_Favre]

Find some friends and open up special bottles together - share in the pleasure of well cared for bottles, great company, and wonderful food. Splurge when you can (very subjective) and be generous - words to live by!

[GregT]

Also gone the way of the dodo, at least if Medtronic reps are any indication. A friend talks about how their expense accounts are severely limited for alcohol.

That’s a rep who should get into a different line of work. If he can’t work a deal with a restaurant where his alcohol is covered under some other euphemism, how does he sell anything?

[Chris_Blum]

I wouldn’t worry about him,Greg.

[LMD_Ermitano]

@Robert Sand

My question is simply: HOW DO YOU DO THIS?

Are most bottles BYO and you pay the fees? Or are you such a huge crowd that a bottle is shared between 15 guys?
Or are there special contacts for bargain offers? Or are you simply so wealthy that it doesn´t matter?
Or what is it?

I´m just curious.

In my case, when I write about dinners with my regular wine group, it is most always BYO (everyone brings a bottle or three), and we pay corkage (though most restaurants we go to will waive that for us). When out with my family, I also BYO 90% of the time, the main exception being when dining in my favorite Spanish restaurant since their list of Spanish wine is good and reasonably priced (the owner is a good friend who allows me to bring bottles, but I rarely do to give him business).

Note that I am based in Metro Manila, Philippines. When I am abroad, say in the US, France, Spain, HK, etc., it is the reverse - I buy off restaurants’ wine lists 99.9% of the time. Actually, I’ve ever BYOed only in the California and HK, and, even then, very rarely.

As to how I do this, I, like most everyone on this board, make a reasonably good living, and wine is one of the things I see fit to indulge myself in. Everyone has his/her own choice of what to spend on, and, to my mind, for so long as one can afford it, it’s all good.

Best,

N