As wine enthusiasts and gourmands alike know, the right bottle can significantly enhance a dining experience. While many restaurants offer extensive wine lists, sometimes you may wish to bring a particular vintage from your own collection. This is where the concept of Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) comes into play.

However, bringing your own bottle to a restaurant isn&#39;t as simple as just walking in with it under your arm. There are certain etiquettes that need to be followed &ndash; after all, you wouldn&rsquo;t walk into an eatery carrying your own chicken! Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know about making the most out of BYOB while respecting both restaurant policies and good manners.

1. Call Ahead or Check Corkage Policies:

Before planning on bringing your own bottle, call ahead or check online if the restaurant allows it at all. Many establishments have their corkage policy listed on their website; also check the CorkRules app as we&rsquo;ve begun collecting that information.

2. Understand What Corkage Entails:

Corkage refers to the fee charged by restaurants when guests bring their own wine bottles instead of purchasing from them directly - essentially charging for opening and serving someone else&#39;s beverage within their establishment.

This cost varies widely depending upon location and type of venue but typically ranges between $10-$75 per bottle.

3. Look at Wine List Beforehand:

One unwritten rule about BYOB is not bringing something already available on the restaurant&#39;s menu &ndash; this can be perceived as disrespectful towards their curated selection.

Therefore always look over an establishment&rsquo;s wine list before deciding what you will carry along. If the wine you are brought is on the list, buy the wine from the restaurant.

4. The Age Factor Matters:

Typically older wines which have been aged appropriately are preferred when opting for BYOB because they might not be readily available in most restaurants due its high storage costs involved in ageing wines properly.

5. Bring a Bottle, Buy a Bottle:

A polite way to approach BYOB is by also purchasing a bottle from the restaurant&#39;s list. This not only supports their business but can lead to an exciting opportunity for pairing different wines with your meal. You could also consider pre/post cocktails as well.

6. Don&rsquo;t Bring Cheap Wine:

While there&rsquo;s no need to break the bank, it&rsquo;s generally considered bad form to bring very cheap wine when opting for BYOB. The idea behind bringing your own bottle is usually about sharing something special that isn&#39;t readily available in most restaurants.

7. Share Your Wine:

If you have brought along an exceptional or unusual vintage, consider offering a taste of it to the sommelier or chef if they are interested. They will appreciate this gesture and may even provide additional insights into its characteristics.

8. Tip Generously:

When calculating gratuity at the end of your meal, be sure to tip as though you had purchased the wine directly from them assuming service was good. After all, staff still took time and effort serving and attending on your brought beverage just like any other drink ordered off their menu.

&nbsp;

BYOB offers patrons an avenue through which they can personalize their dining experience while enjoying some of their favorite vintages in new settings. However remember - with privilege comes responsibility; therefore always ensure that you&#39;re being respectful towards both establishment policies and general etiquette when deciding on bringing along your own bottle! #drinkwhatyoulove

As wine enthusiasts and gourmands alike know, the right bottle can significantly enhance a dining experience. While many restaurants offer extensive wine lists, sometimes you may wish to bring a particular vintage from your own collection. This is where the concept of Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) comes into play.

The Art of BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) to Restaurants: Etiquette, Tips and Guidelines

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

In this special edition of CorkRules, Robert Tas interviews Gaia Gaja of Gaja Winery in Piedmont, northwestern Italy, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest estates in the world.

Wine List Review of Gaja Winery with the “Queen of Barbaresco” Gaia Gaja

Robert Tas

Meet the “Queen of Barbaresco” Gaia Gaja from the legendary Gaja Winery

&nbsp;

Gaja:

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Excited to announce our CorkRules app is now available for download, it has over 40K of your favorite restaurants where you can get personalized recommendations, price transparency, and connect with your friends. It&rsquo;s a place to discover, learn and order wine with confidence.

&nbsp;

Welcome to today&rsquo;s podcast with my special guest, &nbsp;Gaia Gaja, from the iconic Gaja vineyards. 5 Generations of wine making.

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: It was a pleasure meeting you in Aspen at the Food and Wine Classic where you hosted quite the tasting. Let&rsquo;s start by talking about your family history, Giovanni who began making wine in 1859 and your father Angelo who is one of most revered wine makers ever.

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT:&nbsp; I read about your father&rsquo;s focus on quality where he once sold off 12K cases of wine as bulk because he didn&rsquo;t believe it was of quality.

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Talk about your family&rsquo;s philosophies for wine making and the business? Not buying grapes from anyone. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Can you share some of the more controversial things your father did in wine making, trail blazing new approaches?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Talk about your land, the vineyard and nature? New vineyards you are cultivating? How you manage this?

GG:&hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Let&rsquo;s talk about you and your journey into wine. Working in the family business? Your brother?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Alright now let&rsquo;s talk about your wines.

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Tell us about your flagship Barbaresco? Barolo? Brunello? What makes your wines unique?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: You also make a fabulous white?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

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RT: What are you most proud of with your wine making?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

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RT: Let&rsquo;s talk about what you&rsquo;re showing now? Current Vintages-releases.

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Which wine is your favorite? Do you remember the wine that touched your soul?

 
GG:

&nbsp;

RT: In speaking with you, I can feel your commitment to history but also innovation in wine making, please about it?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: What does the future hold with weather, the industry, what are you seeing?

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT: Do you see changes in the consumers? How do we get more young people into wine?

&nbsp;

GG:

&nbsp;

RT: Gaia, Thank you so much joining us here on CorkRules sharing your journey, your family history. We are so humbled to have you.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

GG: &hellip;

&nbsp;

RT:&nbsp; To our audience, thank you all for Joining us here on CorkRules.

&nbsp;

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@CorkRules.Com</a> or visit our web website where we have a request form available.

&nbsp;

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please download the CorkRules app that has over 40K restaurants that provides personalized recommendations, provides price transparency, and allows you to connect you&rsquo;re your friends. Order with confidence.

&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

Thank you.

&nbsp;

End

&nbsp;

BRAT

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CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

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