Perlis Picks: Maré and the wineglass question

December 17, 2016 by Michael Perlis

Recently, my esteemed publisher and good friend Eve Bushman wrote an article about her current pet peeves.

I think I was at least partially instrumental in triggering one of them.

One of the issues she raised had to do with restaurant customers whining about the adequacy of appropriate stemware for wine service. Her suggestion to the whiner was something to the effect of “get over it or bring your own glasses.” While Eve said that I was not the only person who has complained to her about glasses, we did just recently have the following experience…

We were dining at a reasonably nice restaurant, which shall remain nameless. The wine list had obviously been given some thought and it was well put together. But the wineglasses for the restaurant were essentially just nice stemmed water glasses. I asked Eve: “Why doesn’t [blank] have decent wineglasses to go with the effort he’s put into everything else in the restaurant?” Her reply was: “Why don’t you just bring your own?”

Admittedly, there have been times when I have done just that, although not in a while. Schlepping glasses is just not a lot of fun. Also, one of Eve’s pet peeves that she mentions in the article refers to wine snobs, and I don’t think there is much that make you look more like a wine snob than showing up at a restaurant with a bunch of Riedels. Although, yes, I have done it but I try to limit that to when the wineglasses are just totally unacceptable.

If you ask my preference, then I’d say I’d prefer all restaurants serve wine in large, thin Riedel or similar glasses. But once I get beyond that preference, then I look at context.

I’m going to digress now. Please bear with me for a few paragraphs.

I’ve been wanting to write about one of our favorite restaurants for some time and this is a perfect opportunity.

Maré on Melrose is…well…it’s an experience. Parking on Melrose can be pretty tricky so plan on using the valet or a car service. There is no direct entry to Maré. Instead, walk into Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese [Chef Eric Greenspan and his partners own both restaurants] and go to the back [be sure to say hi to the guys behind the counter]. Walk through the grilled cheese shop’s storage area and up a short flight of stairs. Finally open what appears to be a refrigerator door; you find yourself in a four-walled uncovered patio. Welcome to Maré!

According Chef Greenspan: “Maré is inspired by a European city by the coast…a little getaway to relax and share good food with good company.”

The menu is focused, with a heavy emphasis on seafood. Service is excellent, friendly and gracious. Karen almost always gets one of the seafood broths with pasta and a poached egg still in the shell – I usually steal the egg from her.

There is also a whole branzino on the bone, a skirt steak and a half a dozen or so other regular menu items, as well as typically a few specials.

We recently had a sweet potato gnocchi that was nothing short of amazing. The few desserts are excellent as well and I definitely suggest you save room for at least one of them. I recommend this place very highly; it’s a good idea to go with a few or even several people to be able to share multiple dishes but the starlit sky also provides for a nice romantic atmosphere for a couple. It is a fairly small patio so reservations are definitely suggested. I admit I wasn’t sure I’d like this place but I thought I’d go once to check it out. We keep going back.

The wine list is fairly small. The wines offered aren’t ones I’m familiar with and I haven’t had an opportunity to find out how they are selected. We BYOB, although we usually order a glass of something white, pink or sparkling to start, or maybe even the sangria.

The wine glasses are essentially tumblers. I’m not talking Riedel O-series here, I just mean short wide tumblers. And you know what? In this setting, they work, they’re perfectly acceptable and they’re kind of fun.

Note that Maré recently opened a second location in Santa Monica, taking over the old JiRaffe spot. The ambience there is a little more upscale and the glasses match that. We like both places but we still prefer the Melrose location.

So, back to wineglasses. Once you get past that you’re not going to get high end stemware everywhere you go, then it should come down to context. So long as you’re not being served wine in little thimble-sized glasses, I think it comes down to the glasses fitting, at least, the ambience of the restaurant.

And to that guy who has an upscale restaurant who has spent a lot of time putting together a nice wine list, yeah, you still need better wineglasses.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Welcome: Jim and Debby Kimmel of Kimmel Vineyards, and Paul LaRussa of Premier Cru Collection

May 15, 2015 by evebushman

Right off the bat Mendocino County vintner Jim Kimmel of Kimmel Vineyards explained that he’s not related to celebrity Jimmy Kimmel, but yes, these two are email friends and have common friends. Jimmy sent Jim an email three years ago to the effect of, “Hi, my name is also Jimmy Kimmel, I host a late night show on ABC…” and they’ve been communicating off and on ever since.

Jim warned us that he had more stories like that one to share, and would most likely tell plenty while a group of us wine writers enjoyed a beautifully paired 4-course meal prepared by Chef Laura Scollan at West, the fine restaurant inside the Hotel Angeleno.

The next story was about Kimmel’s parents who bought the Kimwood ranch in 1963 with 1,100 acres. They raised cattle back then where his vineyards are today. Kimmel noted that they actually use less water now then they did with cattle, back then water was delivered via overhead sprinklers, now its all done with drip irrigation.

In 1986 Kimmel’s dad looked for something else to use his land for besides cows – as they would routinely get out, onto the street, at midnight. And though they grew up in Sonoma the family didn’t have wine interests – yet.

Fast forward to 2007 and Kimmel had used LinkedIn to find out who was in the wine business, found a consultant, and scheduled a meeting for the very next day. When the two met Kimmel said, “Turn around, I want to see if you have wings…because I need an angel.” Turned out the consultant had worked with Don Sebastiani first and helped to get Kimmel going.

By 2010 Kimmel was doing a few hundred cases but not using all of the grapes he was growing – then and still today Kimmel sells some of his juice to Kendall Jackson. Kimmel has since tried lower price point wines and works very hard with his family to get into stores. As he’s a smaller winery the competition in California is fierce so he has had more success being the only Mendocino wine for out-of-state retailers.

He doesn’t have his own facilities to make wine on the ranch. Yet. But you can purchase Kimmel online NOW.

#LAWineWriters Tasting

My aromas and flavors separated ;

2013 Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc

Color: soft, pale, yellow diamond.

Meyer lemon, pineapple, kiwi, ice wine, wet pebbles; lovely viscosity, bright lemon, lemon hard candy, green apple, acid softens into a perfect balance.

2012 Four Blocks Mendocino Chardonnay

Color: 14k gold, nice darker ribbon.

Fresh cut apples, popcorn, lemon zest; pink grapefruit, butter, nice mouthfeel, slightly grassy. Yummy with Tortellini and Clams!

2012 Kimmel Mendocino Chardonnay (Sunset Magazine Gold Medal winner)

Color: Palest gold (coordinated with our fish)

Sweet white peach, fresh cut grass, sandalwood; clean fruit, apples, cream and acid are nicely balanced, long finish.

2013 Four Blocks Mendocino Merlot (and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Malbec

Color: Deep ruby with a garnet edge.

Ripe plum, sliced fig, a dusting of cocoa, green peppercorns; brighter fruit on the palate, peppery, medium length, I’d give this one some time in cellar.

2010 Kimmel Mendocino Merlot (100% Merlot)

Color: Dark red/crimson, with a browner edge, opaque.

Blackberry, blueberry, black pepper, dark chocolate, cigar; remarkably balanced, good fruit and spice, balanced through to the finish. This was a favorite of the group.

2012 Kimmel Mendocino Merlot

Color: Dark magenta with a purple ribbon edge.

Dark juicy fruits, moistened bark, milk chocolate; definitely tastes younger than the 2010 but may be more complex with ripe red and blue fruit flavors of that just need to be rounded with age.

2010 Kimmel Mendocino Cabernet Franc

Color: Dark garnet, pale brown edge.

Dark fruit, cracked black peppercorns, s bit of chocolate fudge; dark spicy fruit, tannic, long palate drying finish. Favorite of the tasting.

We were also sent home with a bottle of their 2012 Illuminate Red Blend (Merlot-based blend) to review:

Color: Purple, opaque.

Plum, prune, earth, very dark chocolate; same flavors in the mouth with the addition of black olive, with firm tannins, would like to see some age on this one.

Premier Cru Collection – First Class Provenance

A Fine Wine Accessory Brand – handmade stemware.

While the luncheon (see the menu below) and the wines were great on their own, we also had the benefit of having our wines served in elegant Premier Cru handmade wineglasses. Yes, the wine glass is just as important to improving your wine experience as is the wine, the food and the company. Trust me. The stems on these glasses were so thin and delicate I first only felt confident holding them by the base. After learning that they were lead-free, and therefore stronger, I grew more confident holding them by their lovely stems.

Paul LaRussa, founder and chief designer at Premier Cru Collection said that too many people “in certain ways live in a throwaway society. This (stemware) elevates the fine wine experience. Handmade and lead free (they are) more durable stemware than you would expect by the elegance and thin stem.” The glasses can be used outdoors, have even been knocked over on granite counter top and they survived – but I wouldn’t try this at home.

LaRussa believes that “Light stemware allows weight of the wine to be highlighted.”

The company builds large custom wine cellars that LaRussa said are highly artistic. It is LaRussa’s vision to bring those that appreciate a handmade cellar a handmade tabletop to go with it. Wine is handmade so this stemware “completes the cycle.” Their 200-year old German factory makes the stemware and a French company makes their corkscrews.

The tagline of the company is, “Essence of the Fine Wine Experience…”

To see the glasses go to the website and click the online boutique: www.pcwinecellars.com/boutique Stemware is currently being used locally at Ysabel restaurant to drink from and K & L for purchase.

Menu

FIRST COURSE

Sauvignon Blanc

SPINACH TORTELLINI

LEMON GARLIC CLAMS, CHORIZO CRUMBLE

SECOND COURSE

Chardonnay

SEA BREAM

WARM POTATO & OLIVE SALAD, BABY SPINACH

GRAIN MUSTARD VELOUTÉ

THIRD COURSE

Merlot

VEAL MARSALA SPRING PEA RISOTTO, RAINBOW CARROTS

FOURTH COURSE

Cab Franc.

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK

CRISPY FINGERLING POTATOES, CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

From Kimmel Vineyards Website

“…as we usher in a new era on the Ranch, we are working even harder to maintain a healthy ecological balance through sustainable farming practices. Our commitment to the land has carried us from cattle ranching to the vineyards. Our practices permeate every area of our operations out to the unplanted habitat acres and extending to the people who work in our vineyards. We continue to look for ways to improve our practices including solar, water, and wind power opportunities. All that we do and plan to do is with the sole purpose of producing the best possible grapes and absolutely delicious wine for you!”

Kimmel Vineyards is located in Potter Valley, Mendocino County, California. Established as Kimwood Ranch in 1963, the property is approximately 1100 acres with the vineyards at an elevation of about 1000 feet. The first Chardonnay vines were planted in 1986. The Merlot vineyard was planted in 1997. Recent grafting with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec will provide for future Bordeaux blends.

Winemaker: Bruce Regalia

https://www.facebook.com/KimmelVineyards

http://www.kimmelvineyards.com/

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Eve’s Wine 101: Wine Service at Your Home, an Event, Bar, Winery or Restaurant

October 31, 2014 by evebushman

In our years of writing about wine we have also had many occasions to serve wine in both public and private tasting events. Couple that with the countless events, bars, wineries and restaurants we’ve reviewed and I came up with a quick training guide for our consulting clients that I’d like to share with our wine 101ers.

This week’s column is an adaptation of my guide titled, “How To: Lead a Wine Tasting.” Normally this is a handout accompanied with an approximate 90-minute presentation. I also often use it as a check off list when I’m hired to lead a home tasting. For our purposes I used italics for items I felt needed a little further explanation. (So, to answer that question in your head, no, this is not a 90-minute lesson, just a synopsis. Email me if you need anything more: Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com)

Prep

Tell guests to avoid wearing perfume as it conflicts with detecting wine aromas.

Minty gum, mints, cigarettes should be avoided prior to tasting.

Prepare the menu, with or without food pairing.

Select a theme.

Ingredients

Anecdotes. (For home: Just like a comic warming up a crowd, you will also get revved up by telling one of your wine stories. It could have been your first wine experience, your last, anything that is short and funny. Think about it, you’ve probably told a few stories about wine over wine already, pick a couple. As your party progresses you may need a couple more, to keep the evening moving. For all others: You still need a good story, preferably about the winemaker/winery/liquor you are highlighting.)

2-ounce pourer. (For public and private events to control pours and inebriation.)

Napkin for use as a wine bottle drape.

White tablecloth, napkin, or menu – to discern wine color. (Prompt your guest to hold their wine over a white object to focus on color.)

Pour out buckets/spittoons.

Pens and menu for note taking.

WSET Flavor and Aroma chart. (See photo on the left. This is very handy for the server and for the guest to help discern descriptors.)

Information sheet about the winery if applicable.

Ice buckets. (If serving white, sparkling, or any red you need to chill down fast place bottle into bucket first, add in several cups of ice around your bottle, fill with water for the “ice bath.” Will chill your wine in 20 minutes that way. Be mindful of over-chilling as the cold will “shut down” a wine’s aromas. If the room temperature is mild, go ahead and remove after the 20, you can always pop back in if needed.)

Stemware. (Your choice. Most people think bigger is better, however, then your two-ounce pour looks smaller. Choose clear, large-bowled glasses without a design whenever possible. Crystal glassware, such as Reidel, are widely respected. Glass tumblers lower the chances of spillage.)

Wine identifiers. (If you are serving 6 or more people this is a nice touch.)

Decanters. (Always have one handy in case it’s needed to help a young red wine age a little more gracefully before served.)

Directions

Sample each wine to check for TCA before pouring samples to the guests. (TCA is an acronym for a much longer term referring to cork taint. You are looking for a bad taste, sometimes noted as cardboard, or anything you find off-putting in the wine’s flavor. Wine can be damaged by many things, heat and movement included, so though TCA is a commonly used term it may not be the term that applies to any particular wine that happens to have been damaged. And if the smell is funky taste anyway; often a freshly opened bottle smells differently than one that has been opened for a few minutes or more.)

If you can, greet your guests with a small taste, sparkling always gets the mood started.

Do not rush anyone. However, if a guest is very late, begin the tasting without them.

Tell guests about each wine before or as they are tasting.

Share your thoughts on aroma, and then ask for theirs.

Repeat for thoughts on flavor.

If a food pairing, ask for comments on if/how the wine changes with the food.

Have a general conclusion about the wine, liked/disliked, before moving on.

Prompt guests to use spittoon/pour out bucket to avoid inebriation.

Wine 101: How to Select Wine

October 3, 2014 by evebushman

It’s funny, when I’m out to dinner or in a wine bar, and I see a friend or acquaintance, I’m often asked what I’m drinking. Then a strange thing happens – they order the same thing. I can only guess that they have read my wine reviews and have agreed with my ratings enough that they believe they have the same palate. However, if I query them I usually get, “I just figure it will be good” as if they have no preference of their own. While I’m flattered, you can do better!

My palate, at the moment, is craving 5:01 pm and a nice not-too-sweet chilled Riesling on my sunny front porch. Another night, and I’m eating spaghetti in a meat sauce at a local Italian restaurant, I might order a Chianti Classico off the menu. My husband’s favorite steak place in town – where the wine list isn’t stellar – and I’ll nab a great 10 year-old Napa Valley Cabernet from our cellar, and stemware, before heading out the door.

Are you following my drift? It’s the weather, the food, and my husband’s company that helps me make a decision. However, prior to all of that, you, and I, have to select a wine:

Ratings

If I’m at a large wine store, faced with hundreds of bottles and I want to try something new, I’m not opposed to picking up a highly rated wine. To me anything that has obtained 90 points or above is worth a look. The wine critics that I have been lucky with – for my palate – are Robert Parker (example: RP 90) or the blind tasting panels from Wine Spectator magazine (WS 90).

In the past I also like Steve Heimoff but he left Wine Enthusiast magazine (WE) and I haven’t gotten to know the new reviewer well enough. My advice: Let your palate help you find your critic.

Wine Bars

Getting to know the owner of a wine bar, and letting them get to know your palate, is fabulous. They can make suggestions you can try then and there. If you find that your “guru” has gotten to know your palate pretty well, ask about their wine clubs, you may strike gold.

Friends

Much like my earlier example, of drinking something because someone else is, doesn’t mean I’m going to like it. But if it’s someone I’ve drunk with before, and have chosen wine with before, I might.

Wine Clubs

Over the years I’ve been a member of many wineries. Some lasted a year, others longer. I strongly suggest that you support your favorite wineries by becoming a part of their bread and butter business by joining their clubs. Not to mention, many winery clubs come with added benefits such as discounts and harvest parties.

Supermarket

The average shelf life of a bottle of wine is…20 minutes. Do you know why? Because that’s the length of time it takes a shopper to get home from the grocery store. I challenge you to think about this, though I myself have done it while in a pinch, that bottle of wine, that has been stood upright for who-knows-how-long, is nothing special. It was purchased in bulk, at a discount, may have sat in a hot shipping truck and can be found everywhere. Do you really want to drink common wine? Wine drinking is a gift. Spend some time choosing a good one.

Wine 101: Glassware

August 1, 2014 by evebushman

There is quite a bit of discussion on the proper glassware, also referred to as stemware, which will allow the wine drinker the best experience possible. Some, if not most, of the information out there is valid, but the final decision is up to you, the buyer. What I hope to accomplish in this column is a little wine 101 education to help you make an educated decision.

Colors and Design

Who hasn’t been excited to receive a perfectly hand-painted wine glass? How about a personalized etched wine glass at a tasting event? And branded stemware that is handed out, along with a tasting fee, at your favorite winery tasting room? I have a drawer full of them, and even more line a curio cabinet in my dining room. However, trying to evaluate the color of a wine is near impossible in any of them, along with expensive cut crystal and, lest we forget, colored glass.

I suggest you put these all away too.

Shape

A wine glass in an odd shape, say too large or too small of a bowl, makes it difficult to detect aromas. However, a smooth sided crystal wine glass, in the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon (also for Merlot and Bordeaux) shape is perfect. Another shape, a glass with a more bowl-like appearance, is suited for getting the most from aromas and flavors in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Those types of glasses are what you should expect when visiting a wine bar or wine-themed restaurant. At home the traditional shaped Cabernet glass is more than acceptable.

Crystal and Riedel

Just as I stated above, colored or cut crystal stemware makes it problematic to judge your wine’s color. Along with that, some small tulip-styled shapes that crystal glasses are sometimes made in are not conducive to evaluate taste. With that all said, a thinner crystal-type glass is considered more acceptable than a thick glass with an equally thick stem. The wine glasses I prefer to use, and constantly have to replace are Riedel and Spiegelau.

Note: Many people have either attended a Riedel (pronounced like needle) tasting seminar or espouse the greater benefit of tasting from a Riedel glass, including famed wine critic Robert Parker. In fact, they have a whole line of glasses depending on the wine varietal you are drinking. Many are skeptical of the purported differences, and an article in Gourmet Magazine attempted to dispel the test results. But they do have their true believers so you might want to see for yourself. For me, the jury is still out, but I’ve never turned a Riedel glass down.

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column.

Rusty Sly on: Goodridge Pottery Wine Glasses

December 31, 2012 by evebushman

Tracy and I went to a new restaurant on Lyons Ave in Santa Clarita called Bricks on Lyons.
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Tracy is a huge hamburger aficionado and that is their specialty. They also have a nice selection of beers from Belgium, England etc. While we were ordering I got into a conversation about my passion for fine wines and beers with our server Kyle Goodridge. It is here that he started to tell me about his dad’s passion for making ceramic pottery including custom wine glasses.

Rob Goodridge started throwing clay while in college at the University of California Santa Barbara in 1974. His hobby started out by making pots for the dozens of house plants he had and figured it would be a cheap way to make new pots when the plant out grew the one it was in. Not only was it more economical but he found that making pottery was a great diversion from his studies in Chemistry, but as a love of a hobby grows one finds it is not as economical as originally thought. One of his best memories in college was sitting in downtown Isla Vista throwing pottery and watching the student life pass by. After accomplishing his goal and graduating he received as a graduation gift a pottery wheel which he still uses today.

For the last 35 years he has created pottery as gifts and when he grew tired of the latest set of dishes in his cabinet he would make a new set. He has made a number of pottery wine glasses over the years, and never used them. If you’ve ever drank wine out of pottery you would know why. So wanting something creative for wines he felt he finally hit the right combination, a stem-less glass attached to a porcelain base. His motive was a dislike for the delicate stems most wine glasses offer, and it turns out he is not alone. The porcelain base offers a comfortable grip, the weight adds stability to the wine glass, and a variety of colors makes for easy identification after a night of serious tasting.
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Rob informed me that he also make these with crystal glasses for wine snobs like myself.

After having fine crystal glasses break in my hands, I can see this as a very unique concept of providing a safe, stable wineglass plus the fine benefits of having the regular glass or crystal to view and taste your wine. If you are interested in purchasing wine glasses or other ceramic pieces his website is www.goodridgepottery.com. I found these glasses very unique not only with the benefits mentioned but also very eye catching.

Cheers,

Rusty Sly

Perlis Picks His Pet Peeves

December 15, 2012 by evebushman

As Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, I have to take responsibility not only for errors in my own articles, but also for the ones that I edit. So, I’ve become especially sensitive when I see things in print that bother me, some wine-related, some not, even when something may not be technically incorrect but just my personal preference. And I know I am as guilty of these so-called errors as anyone else, but I find it much easier to see them in others’ writing as opposed to my own.

So, here are some of the things that bug me, both in print and out…

It’s
Its

Jealous
Envious

Your
You’re

Wet
Whet

Who’s
Whose

Peek
Peak
Pique

To
Too
Two

There
Their
They’re

Lose
Loose

Palate
Palette
Pallet

Broken corks
Servers who break the cork by not pulling the darn thing straight out of the bottle.
When I break the cork by not pulling the darn thing straight out of the bottle.

Red wine served too warm.
White wine served too cold.

Crappy stemware.
Unreasonable corkage.
Crappy stemware and unreasonable corkage.
Unreasonably high restaurant wine prices.
Crappy stemware and unreasonably high restaurant wine prices.

Perfume.

Numerical ratings with no tasting notes.
Numerical ratings.
Tasting notes.

Oxidized wine at a tasting room and the server says “it’s supposed to taste like that”.

Petite Syrah [with a couple of exceptions]
Petite Verdot

Petty complaints. Life is short. Drink some wine.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who puts up with him. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting tasting rooms and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, Michael had the amazing good fortune to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. At the same time, in his day job he provides outsourced controller services to companies that do not need a full-time controller. One day, he hopes to be able to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.

Michael Perlis: Corkage Revisited

September 15, 2012 by evebushman

Eve’s recent survey of local restaurants’ corkage policies, along with some incidents that I have witnessed, have caused me to revisit a topic I wrote about some time ago.

Why do you like to bring your own wine to restaurants? I know why I do: Over the years, I have put a lot of time and effort into accumulating wines that I really want to drink, wines that I have selected based on my own palate and preferences. Truth be told, if I couldn’t bring my own wine to restaurants, I would just eat out less often.

Contributing Editor Michael Perlis

But, BYOB [bring your own bottle] is a privilege, not a right. And it is something I have learned to appreciate even more after our visit to Boston, as BYOB is apparently not generally allowed in Massachusetts. Please remember that a restaurant, like any other business, needs to be profitable to survive. Restaurant owners have to constantly look at their costs and develop prices and policies accordingly, always having to walk a fine line to keep customers coming back.

Corkage charges can vary. Sometimes there is no charge, but a typical fee can run in a range from $5 to $25 per bottle. [The last time I checked, the French Laundry in Yountville charges a whopping $75!] Restaurant owners need to recover at least some of their costs for glassware, service, cleanup, and possibly lost profits on wine not purchased at the restaurant.

Venues that provide entertainment face an additional dilemma. Patrons often tend to “camp out”, sometimes for several hours, so table turnover is very low. Rather than being able to serve multiple meals at one table, only one dinner service ends up happening, with a concomitant loss in revenue, while the entertainment continues through the evening, usually at no cost to the customer but at significant cost to the restaurant owner. Many places that provide entertainment don’t allow outside alcohol, so special appreciation should be shown to those that do.

Some BYOB etiquette:

Call in advance to determine the restaurant’s corkage policy.

Try to bring a bottle that is not on the wine list. In fact, some restaurants will refuse to open an outside bottle that they already carry, or they might charge an extra fee on top of their normal corkage.

Offer a taste of the wine to the restaurant owner. After all, supposedly you are bringing in a bottle that the restaurant does not carry, so the proprietor may not have had an opportunity to try the particular wine. We have offered samples to our servers also, but you should check with the owner first, as the restaurant policy might prohibit this.

And, if the restaurant has a limited wine program, it might not have stemware that you feel does your wine justice. I see nothing wrong with bringing your own glasses, and we have often done just that – wine-geeky as it seems.

Finally, take care of your server. It is not the fault of the waitstaff that you brought in your own bottle, so don’t punish them when it is time to calculate the tip – add in an appropriate amount for the wine service being provided.

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.