So you’ve been saving a special bottle of wine to enjoy on a “big” anniversary or birthday. You’ve decided that you want to celebrate the occasion at your favorite restaurant. How do you go about having that special wine served as part of your dinner?

Until recently, people very rarely brought their own wine to restaurants. That has changed, however, and those of us in the biz see personal bottles (sometimes even coolers!) arriving with our guests not infrequently. Although I generally have no objection and charge a nominal corkage fee to open and serve these wines, there are some do's and dont's I would suggest to make this a pleasant experience for all.

Most importantly, call and find out the restaurant’s policy about bringing your own wine before you arrive. Do they allow it? Some don’t! If they do, is there a corkage fee—and how much? Do they happen to carry the wine you are bringing? Restaurants might not prefer to serve you your own bottle of a wine they have in inventory. I am very happy to accommodate anyone who calls in advance to arrange for a special table, or flowers, or dessert, or who wants to bring in a special bottle of wine that I don’t carry. However, I must confess to finding it irksome (and, frankly, rude) when people simply walk in with a bottle or two in hand (or even, sometimes, behind their backs!) and just set them down on the table for us to serve.

If you bring in a nice bottle, a restaurant always appreciates it if you buy at least another bottle (or even half-bottle) from their cellar. Remember, a restaurant is in the business of selling food and beverages from its inventory. They mark up the cost of what they sell to cover their substantial cost of labor and overhead (the industry average net profit for a sit-down restaurant is 5-10%, with white-tablecloth establishments usually at the lower end of that scale). So the bottle of wine you bring in replaces an anticipated sale (and small profit) for the business, which is not usually compensated for by a nominal corkage fee (although I understand that some of the finer urban eateries are getting pretty aggressive in that area).

Also, make sure the wine you bring is a good one, not just one you picked up in the grocery store bargain bin on the way to the restaurant. I still remember the gentleman who plopped a very inexpensive bottle of white wine on the table when he arrived and who became irate when we presented him the check including our very modest corkage fee: “I didn’t pay that much for the wine!” he bellowed. Shoulda asked…

I know I’m going to sound very selfish here, but remember to offer a taste of your special wine to your server or wine steward. It might even pay to do so, as some sommeliers might forgo the corkage fee in exchange for the opportunity to experience a well-aged or hard-to-find wine (I know I often do).

Finally, enhance your enjoyment by bringing your wine in proper condition to be served. If it is Champagne which you want to enjoy right away, make sure it arrives well-chilled. Other white wines should be cool; red wines closer to room temperature. If you are bringing in an older red wine which might need decanting, make sure it has been standing for at least a day so that the sediment has settled to the bottom.

April Wine Picks: We hosted two winemakers’ dinners in March which focused on unusual wine varieties now being produced in small quantities in the Northwest. David Lake at Columbia Winery (not Columbia Crest) in Washington is very successfully producing a lovely 1998 Sangiovese (the red grape of Italian Chianti) and a powerful 1998 Syrah (one of the big Rhone varietals). Adam Campbell at Elk Cove in Oregon brought us a lovely and lush 1999 Viognier (a principal white grape also from France’s Rhone Valley. Definitely worth seeking out!