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Corkage Fees | Rules for Bringing Wine to a Restaurant
Bringing wine to a restaurant is a common
practice among wine lovers. However, there are some unwritten
rules to consider should you decide to do this.
- The wine
should be special, something that is unlikely to be on that
restaurant’s
wine list. It might be a wine from a boutique winery or wine
that is available only at the winery. Or, the wine might
be one that has been aging in your wine cellar.
- It is always a good
idea to call ahead and ask the restaurant about their corkage
fee. Fees will vary, but some restaurants will charge an
outrageous corkage fee. For example, a recently opened fancy
San Francisco restaurant charges $50. Expect to pay from $10
to $20 for a corkage fee. Expect to pay a higher corkage fee
for a magnum of wine.
- If you have a bottle of wine that requires chilling, bring
the wine chilled in an insulated wine tote bag.
- For a very special bottle, consider
offering the sommelier or waiter a taste
of the wine.
More Corkage
Tips
- A few restaurants
will waive the corkage fee if you purchase an additional
wine from the restaurant.
- A few wine country restaurants will waive the corkage fee
if you bring a wine from the wine region where the restaurant is located.
We hope this is a growing trend in the wine country.
- If you are
eating at a neighborhood restaurant or any restaurant
that does not have a great wine list, you can bring a wine
that is not so distinctive, but one that is of good quality
and, of course, not on their wine list.
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