Bring your own wine to Victoria restaurants

[Mike K.]

Hasn't Smokin' Bones announced a $0 corkage fee?

[Bob Fugger]

Originally Posted by Mike K.

Hasn't Smokin' Bones announced a $0 corkage fee?

Yup. And Brasserie L'Ecole has introduced a $30 corkage fee. Juxtapose these two and like I said, I don't think that it needs to be explained why Smoken' Bones set theirs to $0.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Baro

I've yet to see a "corkage fee" smaller than what I'd even spend on bottle of wine. What's the point unless you're bringing in some $500 bottle?

That is pretty much the intent of the BYOB policy. It should serve as an opportunity to try a premium wine without a premium mark-up. At Brasserie L'ecole it works for wines that retail for about $50 and up. Otherwise, you are better off choosing from our list and paying a lot less of a mark-up.

Marc

[Bob Fugger]

Originally Posted by Marc

That is pretty much the intent of the BYOB policy. It should serve as an opportunity to try a premium wine without a premium mark-up. At Brasserie L'ecole it works for wines that retail for about $50 and up. Otherwise, you are better off choosing from our list and paying a lot less of a mark-up.

Marc

This is exactly how it ought up work. Cabin 12 and Smoken Bones obviously didn't get the memo.

P.S. I LOVE your restaurant.

[Sparky]

^^ Welcome to vibrantvictoria Marc.

[LJ]

Now what about restraunts that don't have a liquor license, can you bring your own in?

We go to an Italian place in Arizona that doesn't have a license and you bring your own in and it works great.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by LJ

Now what about restraunts that don't have a liquor license, can you bring your own in?

In BC the restaurant has to have a liquor license.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by spanky123

So will the new law allow you to bring in ubrew wine I wonder?

I bet that you could get away with it. There is nothing from preventing you from pouring a ubrew into another bottle and taking that into a restaurant.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by WGTHOM

speaking as a consumer that often sees 20 dollar bottles being billed at upwards of 40 I look forward to bringing my own wines and enjoying a decent vintage rather than being forced to choose from a list of wines that would never see my cellar. if I have to shell out a few extra coins it will still be worth it.

it also allows me to plan ahead and do a decent pairing.

WG

The $20 to $40 mark-up is the norm. You can thank the lack of wholesale or any sort of discount for restaurants for that. We pay the exact same price as you do but then we have to mark up that price to make a business work.

As a consumer I love this ruling. I like to spend a fair bit of money on wine but I hate paying a 200% mark up on it.

[Sparky]

Marc......what's your take on privatizing the distribution of liquor?

[Sparky]

Matt R....I see you are still here....do you have an opinion on this as well?

[Matt R.]

Restaurants, if they have a good enough relationship with a winery, can buy BC wine direct from the winery and enjoy very substantial discount over LDB price. Note this only works with BC wines.

I think if BYOW has any effect, it will be to reduce the price of these wines on a restaurant wine list back down to a more standard markup and will perhaps encourage restaurants to source more spec items and build a fun, interesting and more broad wine list. These spec items are typically not available in the liquor stores.

Matt.

[Sparky]

Roger that. Thanks

[Sparky]

^^ Very few people understand that position. What do you think the government is attempting to achieve?

[Matt R.]

I think they are trying to woo the electoriate pre-election and make people look the other way while they sell off the distribution business. Now instead of three bidders, there are four because apparently there was a "tie". Results announced in October I think. That's the real story.

BYOW won't make a lick of difference once the novelty wears off. Most restaurants that care about wine have allowed guests to bring in special bottles the entire time anyways. It's not a big deal and I think it's pretty common.

On the wine that most people buy while dining out, the corkage is just about the same as the markup anyways, so why bother. You might save a couple of bucks on your average $18 bottle that's marked up to $40 on the list. Literally, a couple bucks.

I can't really explain $0 corkage, but I think it speaks for itself.

Matt.

[Sparky]

^ That's what I thought as well. As Bob would say, this government has messed with the hospitality business enough already.

At the end of the day, every restaurant needs to show a profit.

It is my personal opinion that this BYOW deal is a smokescreen.

[Holden West]

Originally Posted by Marc

I bet that you could get away with it. There is nothing from preventing you from pouring a ubrew into another bottle and taking that into a restaurant.

Well, there are a couple of things; shame and self-respect. If we brought the U-brew red wine Mrs. West's grandparents make, I'd be afraid we'd spill it and dissolve the finish off the table.

[Sparky]

^ That was funny.

[LJ]

Originally Posted by Marc

I bet that you could get away with it. There is nothing from preventing you from pouring a ubrew into another bottle and taking that into a restaurant.

They said it had to be a sealed bottle.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by LJ

They said it had to be a sealed bottle.

on some wines the capsule will pull right off. It might get a bit stretched but you can put it back on. Places that sell wine making kits also sell capsules.

Not everyone would be fooled but most people probably wouldn't question the origin of the wine.

[Tim]

Unless someone examined the cork you could easily bottle in used commercially labeled bottles and nobody would have a clue, well unless you put a red in a white LOL Even then no waiter is going to care or do anything other than have a laugh in the back with the other staff.

[LJ]

I can't think of anyone's home made wine that I've consumed, complimenting any fine dining experience.

Well maybe Pig.

[cabin]

Really?
Cabin 12 is somehow one of the bad guys here?
wow.
Keep making that part of your business plan guys.
It's obviously best to trash the little guy with a 6 bottle wine list.

btw - $8.50 or $5 for BC wine.

[Sparky]

Corey..how's it going at your new digs?

Good to hear from you...

Forget this corkage stuff....we can pop the top anywhere we want....

Cheers Sparky

[Baro]

Good on you for letting people bring in their own wine. I never order alcohol at restaurants due to the markup, maybe some other places will follow the free/cheap corking fee. I know I'd be much more likely to go to those places, but the $30 fee places probably don't want riff-raff like me anyways.