In some states it is common to witness a patron bringing wine into a restaurant. Restaurants typically charge a corkage fee for this privilege. In California, where there are many wine-growing regions, this practice is particularly common. In some states it's illegal, and in others, although technically legal, it simply never occurs, such as in the many famed restaurants in New York City. So what is the general rule regarding corkage in restaurants?

Where I work, at Quince Restaurant in San Francisco, we have a daily changing menu accompanied by a large and fairly-priced wine list. However, we often encounter guests who routinely bring in their own wine. At times, I find myself wondering why our guests carry bottles of wine into our restaurant, as I have never seen a guest carry in a Guinea hen for the chef to cook. When our guests want a special dessert or cake for a celebration, we bake one for them; they do not carry in their own pastry. At Quince, we have a "Corkage Policy" of $35 per bottle, and we ask our guests to respect our two-bottle limit. The $35 is a standard corkage fee to cover the wine service, decantation or special handling, as well as providing hand-blown crystal stemware.

On occasion, it stands to reason that bringing your own wine to a restaurant known for its wine selection and service can be a reasonable request. For example, some months back I received a phone call from a gentleman who kindly asked if we would permit him to bring in a special bottle of wine in celebration of his wife's 60th birthday. "By all means," I replied. "Thank you for the courtesy of the call." The gentleman went on to ask me if the special bottle of wine in question was on our list, and mentioned that he would certainly not bring the bottle if we had it available. I found this to be especially considerate and appropriate.

The wine, it turned out, was not available on our list, and so I said that we would be honored to serve this rare and special bottle for he and his wife. He went on to ask if he could please bring the wine in four days ahead of his reservation so that it could rest in our cellar before being served at dinner. "By all means!" I said again. Clearly, this was a man who cared very much about the service and eventually the consumption of this extraordinary bottle of wine. When they came for dinner, they started with champagne followed by white wine, and then I served his wine to his specifications. It was a wonderful dinner indeed.

Bringing your own wine to a more casual restaurant, not known for its wine selections, is a fine idea. Bringing a deserved bottle along for a special occasion is completely appropriate. Remember, however, that should you bring your own wine, it's important to check with the restaurant first and generally good manners to order another bottle from the list to accompany your own. Then drink to good health and enjoy!

Hi Christie. I enjoyed your article. I just celebrated my birthday at a local wine bar here in Olympia, it was fabulous! We had several wine flights - Three 2oz glasses of wine with common themes. We did ask whether it was ok get a bottle out that we had brought. After all the wine and food we had just ordered, our server was happy to oblige. You seem to be a bit of a celebrity in the wine world, right on. Take care,
-Palu.