When making plans for where to dine, people often overlook whether the establishment has a corkage policy. Corkage is common in the restaurant industry, but exactly what does the term “corkage policy” mean? Corkage is a privilege that allows the customer to bring his or her own bottle of wine and pay a fee for the wait staff to open the bottle and pour it for the table.

Why bring your own bottle of wine? Even though most restaurants maintain some type of wine list, the list may not contain wines to every persons liking. I have eaten at a number of restaurants where the wine list does not live up to the quality of the food. On the other hand, some restaurants have wine lists that contain a large number of expensive wines, but very few that are on the more inexpensive side. You may also be dining out for a special occasion and want to make sure that the person dining with you is going to have his or her favourite wine for the occasion.

While most restaurants don’t advertise whether they allow you to bring your own bottle, or the amount that they charge as a corkage fee, I have found that they will gladly answer the question when asked. I typically ask about the corkage policy when I make a reservation.

Although a restaurant may have a pre-set corkage fee, many times they also have other prerequisites such as the number of wines that may be brought, as well as whether or not one can bring a wine that is on their wine list. (Simple etiquette would suggest that you don’t bring a bottle on their wine list regardless of the policy.) Some restaurants also have a policy that they will waive the corkage fee, per bottle, for each bottle of wine that you purchase from their wine list.

Source: bradenton.com