Re the server after the shift, it’s usually one glass of wine and it has turned a declination into acceptance several times if it’s a special wine.
Many restaurants have policies against drinking on shift.
I have said “you are welcome to try it” a few times when, as others say, the server shows an interest (which is maybe 5% of the time?), but I have literally never been taken up on it. I’m also never dining at extremely fine dining establishments, places with dedicated somms, or bringing anything trophy like to dinner. Not sure if that makes any difference for others.
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I don’t bring wine out to eat often, so I should clarify that if I’m bringing a bottle to a restaurant it’s more than likely a higher end Burgundy, and the restaurant is more than likely a fine dining establishment with a dedicated wine team. I insist in the sense that I don’t want the Somm to feel like they are imposing by sampling something they may not have an opportunity to try regularly otherwise. Generally this leads to some good conversation, often the Somm will share something cool that they already have open, and I rarely get charged corkage.
I met two of my best friends by sharing with their table but I admit I’m usually very careful to read the staff, table and vibe before I do,
I always offer a taste to the server and always pour it myself—after one server poured himself a huge glass. I occasionally offer an adjoining table, usually if they express interest in the wine.
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I always offer a taste to the server and the somm if one, or both is interested. It’s been years since I’ve been taken up on it, including once when I brought an 83 Pichon Lalande and 83 was the server’s birth year. He said the restaurant had a rule against drinking while on the job. I think that’s become common in DC. It wasn’t always so.
If the place has a sommelier or the staff shows any wine interest, a staff pour is generally offered. This includes wines I buy off their list if the wine is an oddity they are unlikely to have been able to try.
Sharing with other tables is less common and very much a read-the-situation sort of approach.
Cheers,
fred
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Most servers and somms I have encountered will refuse to pour themselves. I think you found the one in the world that would do such a thing.
It somewhat seems to depend on location, local regs, local culture, etc.
Most WA state folks have declined and many cited local laws- I will sometimes leave a small bit in the bottle/decanter for them if they truly seem “wish I could”
My one annoyance with recent dining in Australia was the tendency of the somms/servers to open the wine away from me, sometimes even out of sight, take a pour, before letting me taste- and then sometimes not leaving the bottle at the table.
My wife doesn’t want me to bring wine to a restaurant, she thinks it looks too snobby, so I have no experience with this. Also, I don’t believe there are any restaurants with a somm within almost 2 hours of where I live. (The couple times we have dined with friends - once in Napa - when they did bring a bottle, nothing was ever offered to or asked for by the server.)
I find the topic interesting though. Do those of you that do this routinely do it just to be generous, or is there really an expectation of this among the staff? (at apparently higher end restaurants than I frequent). It does seem strange to me to be able to drink on the job.
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happens in US also. I tackle the guy as he tries to flee with the bottle.
Fair. When it happens in the US I am more comfortable with challenging it. 
I don’t think taking a small taste of a wine is considered drinking by many in the business. Somms regularly taste wines upon opening and bartenders “straw taste” cocktails, as just a few examples.
I don’t think there’s an expectation, exactly, that customers who bring wine will share it. Here in Philly, where many of the restaurants are 100% BYO, it can even be seen as a bit odd in more casual places. But in restaurants where customers regularly bring special bottles, I don’t think it is considered unusual at all. And at places where we (wine people) are regulars and there’s a relationship, I think staff do sometimes come to look forward to tasting what we bring. Reception runs the gamut from polite refusal to enthusiastic acceptance. As others have said, when you can tell there is genuine interest, it always feels good to at least offer.
Offering pours can often help establish a relationship, too. We travel in Japan a lot, and dine in some very small chef-owned restaurants. My husband almost always has a bottle of special whisky in his bag, and I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve ended up going from awkward formality to best friends over a nice pour shared over the counter.
Damn, man, this might be something to push harder on, or maybe trade this off for something she wants.
It is true that civilians sometimes think you’re odd for bringing wine to a restaurant, and/or think the idea of paying corkage is strange. I just play through it, don’t get deterred. Their reaction is usually only momentary and doesn’t end up throwing off the overall dinner.
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Just remind her that some of us even bring our own glasses as well as wine!
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I like the gesture, but in my experience most waiters are too busy, indifferent or just not wine savvy enough to dig into the nuances of a small sip in real time. Unless it’s some super glorious bottle, say an aged Rousseau or whatever.
I prefer leaving half consumed bottles that kitchen or wait staff can enjoy when service is done. And they don’t have to fawn over the wine for our benefit.
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I once had someone pour themselves 8 oz after offering them a taste. I was dumbfounded.
I also try to pour it myself since then.
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Nice gesture but I think they will often go down the drain. Depends on the place.
Just get one of those neoprene bottle carriers in a dark color and no one will ever know. As soon as you get to the table take the bottle out and set it on the table, no big deal.
Now the glassware folks, even I stare at them like wildlife as they open up their picnic baskets and inspect all the glass 
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Same practice for us. I’ve had servers politely signal they’d love to try the wines we brought after their shift has ended. And we always accommodate by leaving at least a glass in each bottle behind.