How long before restaurant do you open your bottles?

WINE TALK
21

I remove capsule, double decant and fully replace cork before going to restaurant, never been questioned.

22

which state?

curious because i had a restaurant tell me that here in NYC and it’s not true.

23

In most states it’s illegal to travel in a vehicle with an open container, I guess the question is is a wine bottle that has been opened and then re-corked considered open? I’d guess yes.

But the next question I have is, in those same states, is it illegal to take a means of transportation other than driving (i.e. mass transit, walking) with an open container, and is a previously opened and re-corked bottle considered an open container? Again I’d guess yes to both.

That said I can’t imagine enforcement is really a thing. And as others have indicated I’ve never had problems simply removing the capsule and re-corking.

24

Yes they are young. A 2009 brunello and a 2012 super tuscan. I know it’s too early, but wanted to try them anyway.

25

Gezus, you’re killing babies! Better open both the morning of your dinner - slow O the brunello and then decant it 2 or 3 hours ahead, and decant the supertuscan the whole morning and afternoon.

*opinions expressed in this editorial do not necessarily reflect those of Wine Berserkers’ moderators and/or members.

26

As others have said it really depends on both the wine and my experience with it.

FWIW, I just double decanted a Bordeaux for a dinner tonight.

27

I tend to bring wines that can be opened (and decanted if needed) after I arrive at the restaurant, and I drink most of my wines that need long aeration or more special attention at home or at other gatherings.

But if I do bring something that needs aeration (which would more often be to wine tasting type dinners), I’ll just do whatever I think is needed in advance.

28

I will thoroughly enjoy them then repent. [basic-smile.gif]

29

CT, and it is true.

30

I think Sarah i. s correct. But there’s also the question of where you are. In NYC, it’s pretty common to travel by taxi or subway (or private limo). In other places it’s far more common to drive. If you’re driving, although your risk of being pulled over is low, you probably shouldn’t have open bottles in your car in any state, unless they’re in the trunk.

In many dozens of events in NYC over the years, although almost never driving, I’ve very rarely opened a wine ahead of time and carried it with me. Sometimes people do, but the vast majority of people I’ve ever had dinner with simply showed up and opened the wine. On rare occasions, we’d drop wines off at the restaurant ahead of time - something I’m going to do in the near future as I’m bringing a case of wines that are mostly 20 - 40 years old with one that’s 70. So I’m dropping it off a couple days in advance. They will all be pop and pour.

31

Why not buy a Coravin and decide for yourself on a case by case basis? Sure, it is expensive, but just think how much money you are saving by not buying wine from the overpriced (and underaged) restaurant lists…

32

Saving money isn’t always the point. It’s having what you want to drink. You can bring a wine that’s a lot more expensive, or less expensive, than anything on a list but if they don’t have it and you do, it’s not necessarily about price. Particularly if it’s a rarer sort of wine.

And if I’m bringing wines, most likely I know them. Sometimes I just want to see how they’re doing before opening the rest of them. You can do it with a Coravin but it’s more fun to do it with a dinner.

33

Just curious…if you had that same case for dinner wherever you live…would you also “pop and pour”?

For me, if I have the opportunity, I would give the wine the same opportunity to shine at restaurant as I would give it in my home.
For older wines, “pop and pour” , IMO, has the lowest odds of letting an older wine (15-20 years plus) show their best. So, I would try to clean them ahead of time at the very least.

I agree that the “vast majority…show up and open the wine.” That’s why I don’t go to such events or find most such notes credible/reliable for my purposes. Whether it is a good idea, ignorance or laziness or just practicality…the result is the same: pop and pour: playing great music through the “Radio Shack” speakers Mark G. described.

So…I’d do nothing different from what I’d do with the bottles were they served at home…Would you? Would you really pop and pour such a case at home? (Assuming you cold get the wines legally to the event, which i think is a bit of red herring to the query on this thread.)

34

If bringing an “open” bottle is an issue, you could bring a Vinturi to the restaurant.

35

source? in CT there’s a few specific statutes regarding what you can take away from a restaurant, etc., sealed and unsealed. But nothing I can find regarding prohibition of transporting alcohol - sealed or unsealed.

In fact, CT has a fairly lax standard compared to other states with regard to possession of open containers in cars. In fact, one of the few states where passengers can drink!

Have fun!

36

The bare majority of U.S. states and localities prohibit possessing and/or consuming an open container of alcohol in public places, such as on the street, while 24 states do not have statutes regarding public consumption of alcohol



To comply with the TEA-21 rules of the federal Department of Transportation, a state’s motor vehicle open container laws must:
Prohibit both possession of any open alcoholic beverage container and consumption of any alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle;[16]
Cover the passenger area of any motor vehicle, including unlocked glove compartments and any other areas of the vehicle that are readily accessible to the driver or passengers while in their seats

37

the practical implication is federal funding for states for various things. they don’t lose any money by not complying, they just have to use it differently.

38

The “readily accessible while in their seats” part makes carrying opened wine by car to a restaurant pretty feasible for the vast majority of us. After I double-decant I typically put upright in my wine carrier in rear part of car (I drive a hatchback) before going to restaurant or train station.
Besides aeration and sediment issues, when possible I generally like double-decanting because I really hate lugging a bottle and then discovering it’s corked (not that I haven’t missed low level TCA that reared its head later)

39

I am curious whether Greg…or anyone…would treat such wines differently they’d bring to a restaurant than at home? And, if so…why?

40

bump