BYOB without looking like a dumb SOB

You may or may not already know this, but it is perfectly fine to bring your own bottle of wine to most nice restaurants. However there are a few Dos and Don’ts.

First off, with very few right-thinking exceptions, the restaurant will charge you to open your bottle. It’s called a “Corkage Fee,” and some are higher than others. Stupidly higher, in some cases. Here in Vegas, the range seems to be something between $35 to $50. Although I have seen as low as $15, in a few smarter places. Many eateries will waive the fee if you buy a bottle of their list, too.

Second, almost no restaurant will open your bottle if they already have it on their wine list. OK, that just plain makes sense. That would be like bringing your own steak for them to cook when they sell steaks. So check ahead of time, before you cruise in with a bottle they won’t touch.

So there you are, at the table with your prize wine. Here’s what should happen next. If the joint has a Sommelier, he/she will come over and either whisk the bottle away, or open it right there. Many will taste the wine. Hey, it’s their job, and traditional right. Don’t bitch, you’ll look like an ignorant dip. If the wine’s alright, they’ll pour a taste for you (just like with a bottle you’ve bought). If they don’t taste it, they’ll pour you a taste. By the way, if the bottle’s a young , big wine, or older, red wine, the Somm is likely to decant it. If it’s a white, the Somm will ask if you’d like an ice bucket. If the place doesn’t have a Somm, your waiter will open the bottle, and pour you a taste.

Now, there’s a little tradition lots of folks don’t know. It is considered polite to offer a glass to the Somm, or a taste to your waiter, depending on who pulled the cork. In the case of the waiter, it’s a good idea to ask them something like, “Do they let you taste, around here?” On more than one occasion, I’ve had Somms waive the corkage fee, when I gave them a glass. And they never pour a full glass because if they did that, they’d be slaughtered by the end of the night. Some Somms will turn you down. Don’t be insulted, they just don’t want to drink too much on the job.

That’s all there is to it! So grab that special bottle, and take it to someplace just as special. If it’s REALLY special, you might impress the Somm, and make a friend.

Cheers!