In a recent blog I ranted (albeit for just a couple of lines) about my frustration regarding exorbitant wine mark-ups in restaurants. I understand all of the reasons why, have partaken in numerous dialogues on the subject and have debated the pros and cons of how lists can/should be marked up in a number of trade gatherings. There are no simple answers, but what most of us do know is that when prices do get too high, the people vote to opt out and do so in one of two ways.

First, some folks simply choose to order something other than wine. In this day and age that can be fun as there are myriad artisanal and food friendly licensed beverages ranging from uber-cool seasonal cocktails crafted by very talented mixologists to lovely and delish beers, small production and focused on their affinity to go with your meal. Two nice non-wine alternatives if the prices on the wine lists have you steaming. Alternatively, you can, where legal and when there’s a policy in place, BYO and many people, especially those who collect wine and have ample bottles at home that beg to be enjoyed, do supply their own and pay a corkage charge. Now here is where it can get complicated. First, does the establishment have corkage and, if so, how much is it, what’s the limit (if any) on the number of bottles allowed and what do they/you do if they have that wine you plan to bring in on their list already. It’s enough to make one pause and pick up the phone… in most places.

In San Francisco we are lucky that there is a website that’s taken the guess work out of it for many restaurants. With a click of the mouse to San Francisco Corkage Fees, much of the guess work is done. Plus, you can find ‘sales/offers’ for what’s happening on any given day/week/month vis-a-vis half price or waived corkage fees at specific establishments. All in all it is very cool and I wish more cities would do this so we could all know before we arrive or choose where to dine.

For a good debate on corkage do read the following posting Corkage Unplugged by a fellow wine pro, Alex Fox, who penned these a bit back for my friend Marcia Gagliardi’s great and inimitable Tablehopper.com. Alex’s POV is very sound and well thought out.

Since many of us may have spent a little more than planned over the holidays, knowing how and when to BYO will be helpful in the first few months of the year.

Your thoughts on corkage?