The WinePost©
"Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say it makes him
more pleasing to others."
- Samuel Johnson
Based on last week's
The WinePost© you have decided to take your own wine when dining out. Of course, there's a cost. Most restaurants charge a fee called a corkage fee or just corkage. I have been to a couple of places that did not charge but usually they will. The range I've seen is from 10 to 20 dollars. But I've read of restaurants in large cities charging 85 dollars per bottle. Outrageous.
There are two reasons for the charge, one spoken, one unspoken. The spoken reason is that the fee is a charge for providing and washing the glasses, and for the sommelier if there is one. The unspoken reason is that they just don't like the fact that you don't buy their wine. Remember, the markups are steep. Let me reiterate. I don't object to profit, but I will always believe that they would sell more wine to more people if the markups were a little less.
Before you tote that favorite bottle on your next night out, there's some math. Obviously the cost of your bottle plus the corkage must be less than the price the restaurant charges for that wine in order to save money. For instance, if you take in a 15 dollar bottle of wine and the corkage is 15-20 dollars, you're breaking even, assuming that they charge 30-35 dollars for the same wine. Taking a 50 dollar bottle of wine will result in substantial savings. Taking a 15 dollar bottle probably won't unless they have extreme markups. However, if they don't have the wine you're taking, the math doesn't matter.
Tonight's feature:
Siduri Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains (2010)($29.00)
Here's an opportunity to step up to a fine California Pinot Noir for a few extra dollars. It's full-bodied with plenty of dark fruit flavors and aromas. The tannins are gripping but not excessive and could mellow with age.
Enjoy!
art by artzcatz
