Originally Posted by
u2fan
I have a related question.
If at a restaurant, you have a second bottle of wine, should you be charged a second corkage fee?
Yes.
However, if you bring a bottle and buy a bottle, many restaurants will waive the corkage fee on the brought bottle.
As far as the OP,
(1) Corkage should be charged on the corked bottle once it is opened. Sometimes you don't even know until you start drinking corked wine.
(2) Corkage should be waived if the bottle is undrinkable and you order a bottle from the restaurant.
It is funny because sometimes when I bring a bottle (which is frequently), the server will pour me a taste to "approve" the bottle, at which point I might say "do I get to send it back if I don't like it?" But this is exactly why a corkage fee is acceptable - when you get proper wine service with your wine.