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

La Barra

Grace Hood

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where&nbsp;(in each episode)&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hola Roberto! Como estas?

RT: Bien bien! Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. So, Grace today we will be reviewing the wine list of the Spanish tapas restaurant, La Barra.

GH: I am very excited to be talking all things Spanish food and wine! Early in my wine career, I was the sommelier for Casa Mono in Union Square which has an all-Spanish wine list and menu. The flavors and culture of Spanish cuisine es delisioso!!

RT: I&rsquo;m right there with you. I love Spain. So where do we start on this wine list?

GH: So first and foremost, I love how they have designed this wine menu. It is very user-friendly, in that not only is it an approachable 3 pages, but at the top of every page it has a key or a legend, like you would see on a regular topography map, but instead of mountains and rivers, they have color coded icons that correspond with the wines on the list, which can help you identify what style of wine that is going to be. They separate them into the 5 normal wine categories - sparkling, white, rose, red and fortified. And then break it down even further into the body which they have classified as light, fruity, mature, and full-bodied. I love seeing a well thought out wine list that aims to empower the guest to give them the best dining experience

RT: Wow that is really unique! How helpful!

GH: I absolutely agree. And this is a great excuse to talk about a lesser popular style of wine that people don&rsquo;t usually order - fortified wines, which when you break it down, is a regular table wine that a spirit has been added to it either during or after the fermentation process. The spirit is usually another grape product like brandy or cognac, and what that does not only halt the fermentation process, but kicks the alcohol up significantly. The process was originally created back in the days before refrigeration and air tight bottling, so it was a way to preserve the wine. Spain&rsquo;s has a deep history when it comes to fortified wines - dating back to the Phoenicians in the BC times!

RT: Another great wine history lesson!

MV: Totally - Spain has been at the forefront of producing their famous fortified wine, Sherry - which comes in a few different styles. ranging from light versions such as&nbsp;ManzaNULLlo and Fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidize&nbsp;as they age in barrel, such oloroso and amontillado.

RT: Wow amazing - I had no idea there were multiple kinds of sherry. Do they classically pair well with food? They must if they&rsquo;re made in Spain.

GH: Of course they do! ManzaNULLla is the lightest style and would pair well with raw seafood and even sushi or sashimi. Fino is still light but has more complex aromas and would make a great pairing for all kinds of tapas - rich cheeses, olives, Jamon - basically anything you would see on a charcuterie board. Amontillado is deeper and more nutty and would go with more savory ingredients like poultry, mushrooms, risotto and lots of vegetable dishes. And then your darkest heaviest sherry would be oloroso and that is able to stand up to rich heavy foods like foie gras, lamb and pork.

RT: So cool. Sherry doesn&rsquo;t get enough love for sure. Thank you for that really interesting lesson, Grace. Now, what about some table wines from La Barra?

GH: You got it. So on the light white side, I would go with either of the 2017&rsquo;s Enric Soler Xarel-lo from Penedes. Xarel-lo is a traditional Spanish varietal grown in Catalonia and is one of the 3 grapes they use in making their famous sparkling wine, cava. However, Xarel-lo on its own is light aromatic crispy and pairs fantastically with Spanish seafood. If you wanted to go with a heavier white, I would pick the 2009 Vina Gravonia from legendary Rioja producer Lopez de Heredia. White Riojas are one of the only white wines in the world that benefit from aging, and I was lucky enough to try this exact wine, but from a 1942 vintage! It&#39;s really rare to find a white wine that can age that well, so it was a really special experience.

RT: Wow a 1942 white wine?? How unique! What about some reds Grace? There&#39;s so many great selections on the menu.

GH: There seriously are. One that really stuck out to me was the 1998 Monte Real Gran Reserva from B. Riojanas. And at that price point, a 24-year-old Rioja is going to be mwah chef&#39;s kiss. Or if you wanted to go with an even deeper richer red, I would go with the 2009 Castillo de Ygay Gran Reserva from Marques de Murrieta.

RT: Amazing! Thank you so much Grace for helping us navigate the La Barra wine list. 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 and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists. Follow us on social media @corkrules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

End

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BRAT

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Matteo's

Folie à Deux is a California-based winery that specializes in producing premium wines using traditional winemaking techniques. The winery is owned by the Trinchero Family Estates, which is known for its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Elegant, intimate bar & dinner restaurant offering steaks & seafood, plus a patio with a fire pit.

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homepage

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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