A new BYOB world record!
29 Aug
On Monday we had a company retreat to Avalon, California on Catalina Island. For dinner we brought an entire case of wine to a very nice restaurant. The picture to the left is our only evidence for the night. The faces have been obscured to protect the innocent and the not-so-innocent.
Did you know that almost all fine dining establishments allow customers to bring their own wine? Often times there is a corkage fee, but sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes there is a bottle limit and sometimes you can’t bring anything that’s on the wine list. I always call ahead to find out the BYOB policy. Either way, it’s almost always a better deal than ordering something off the menu, especially 12 somethings.
The wine we brought averaged $28 a bottle at our bargain hunting retail price (six each of 2006 B.V. Tapestry Reserve and 1997 Burgess Cellars Cabernet). Even with a relatively high $20 corkage fee, we saved nearly $400 assuming these wines would have been around $80 on a typical wine list.
I’ve gotten to the point where I won’t eat at a nice restaurant unless I’m allowed to bring my own wine. I’ve recently brought my own beverages to Gramercy Tavern in NYC, Bouchon in Las Vegas, Craft in LA and Redd in Yountville; all high-end establishments with extensive wine lists. We also bring to all of our regular haunts in the neighborhood.
Nickel and Dime Wine Top Tip: Bring Your Own whenever you can. It almost always pays, and more importantly, you get to choose exactly what you want to drink. I like to try something a little nicer than I would normally drink because, hey, I’d be paying for anyway it if I didn’t BYO. My top picks right now? Let’s pretend you’re getting together with friends- a party of six for a nice dinner. Here is a perfect progression of nice, but not outrageous wine, that would make for a lovely BYO evening.
2007 Landmark Chardonnay Overlook- $19.95 ($45-60 on a wine list)
2007 Etude Pinot Noir- $29.95 ($65-85 on a wine list)
2008 Caymus Cabernet- $59.95 ($125-150 on a wine list)
For a little over $100 before any corkage fees, you and your five best friends get to drink high-end wine for value prices. Next time you go out to dinner, don’t forget to call and ask if you can bring your favorite wine. It will make your meal more enjoyable and more affordable!
I have to disagree with your BYO praise, my friend, but let me tell you why :
Yes, bringing in your own bottles can be a big saving on the final bill, and it does make sense when there is a group of people such as in your example. I’ve been working in the wine import/distribution for the past 4 years, and it’s no secret that restaurants make a good chunk of their money on wines. It’s more your general approach of the matter that shocked me ;
When you go to a restaurant, ESPECIALLY a fine dining establishment, you go there to discover what the owner, chef and sommelier have to offer you, to enjoy the dining experience as a whole. Also, and that may be strongly influenced by the fact that I’m French, but bringing your own wine in a restaurant is considered to me an insult, no more no less. I mean, would you go to a bar with your own bottle of beer or scotch ?? I would guess not… Besides, all those restaurants with extensive wine lists you mentioned have unique wines to offer you ! True, you might have to dig a little in the list past some obvious items, but that’s the role of the sommelier to help you with that ! What a waste, in my opinion, to go to such places and not even take a chance at their selection. Encouraging people to do so is nothing short of offensive to the wine directors of those establishments.
Bottom line, there’s no right or wrong in the BYO debate, I think it all depends on the perspective from which one looks at it. If you’re thinking dollar saving, then yes it’s a good thing, especially in the hard economic times we’re going through.
But from a human and gastronomic perspective, it is not only disrespectful but can decrease the dining experience itself ; a Napa Cab, no matter how excellent it is (and I really do like the Caymus myself !), will overpower most dishes offered in a fine dining restaurant. At this point, yes I’d rather buy the bottle retail, but instead of spending a few dozen dollars on possibly dubious food/wine pairings I’d buy my own fine steak, and enjoy it at home. That way I would have saved even more money for my next night out !