Ever bring your own bottle (BYOB) to a restaurant? Many restaurants give their guests the option of bringing their own wine to enjoy with dinner. Serious wine geeks exercise this option all the time.
Corkage fees typically range from $10 to $30, depending on the class of the restaurant. For instance, if you bring a bottle to the French Laundry, be prepared to pay $50.
Corkage policies vary. A few restaurants don’t allow corkage at all, while some charge $20 corkage for a wine not on their list, but $50 if the wine is on their list.
Another policy is “one-for-one” — purchase a wine from the restaurant and they waive corkage on a bottle brought in. Other restaurants have a graduated corkage scale, charging $20 corkage on the first bottle and more on each additional bottle.
Case for corkage
The primary reason most people pay corkage is because they can bring better wines from home than restaurants offer.“The wine lists are generally pathetic compared to my own cellar,” says Bruce Nixon of Palo Alto.
“Nicer restaurants have good bottles but they aren’t even close to being ready,” notes Gordon Saul of Palo Alto. “Wines from my cellar are closer to optimum drinking age.”
Another reason that customers employ corkage is money. Typical markup on wine at a restaurant is three times the retail price. A $10 wine from Safeway will cost $30 on a restaurant wine list.
Since restaurants purchase wine at wholesale prices they pay approximately $6.60 for a $30 wine. Many customers consider a 350 percent profit egregious. Restaurant patrons will sometimes bring a $9.99 bottle and gladly pay corkage because it’s still cheaper than buying off the list.
“Restaurants used to have cellars with wines spanning 30 to 50 years of age,” Pardeep Singh of Belmont says. “These restaurants were the only place one could taste some great older wines in their glory. Now all restaurants expect the same three-times markup on all wines.”
Corkage opposed
Restaurant management may frown on corkage because they view it as direct competition to their business, as you are bringing a product that they sell into a restaurant to consume. Would you also bring in food and ask to have it served to you?Corkage costs restaurants money. Restaurants may invest in expensive stemware and employ staff to clean and store it. Normal wear and tear means glasses are broken nightly and $100 decanters encounter accidents. It’s also costly to educate staff about wine and serving it properly.
Restaurants spend significant time and money to create a reputable wine list. For example, Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg employs two full-time wine professionals as sommeliers, and its wine inventory exceeds $250,000.
Etiquette
“Call ahead and ask if they have a corkage fee, which is a polite way of asking if they allow wines to be brought,” Dean Linebarger of Santa Clara suggests.Plan ahead to avoid bringing wine that the restaurant offers.
Don’t bring an $8 bottle to a restaurant that charges $20 for corkage — it doesn’t make financial sense.
Bring something worthwhile. Craig Gleason of Los Gatos suggests, “Don’t bring wines you bought on the way to the restaurant.”
Share a pour with your server. If they waive the corkage then augment the tip.
“Almost always order one bottle from the list (champagne or dessert) or, if dining as a couple, order a glass of champagne or a glass of dessert wine each,” J.P. Miller of Portola Valley recommends.
No matter what your view, the rising trend of corkage seems unstoppable.
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