Is $22 Corkage Fee a Bit Much?

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Jun 8, 2012 | 10:11 am

#31

AaronKamp

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There's quite a few restaurants around Seattle that have very low corkage fees or none at all for the first or first two bottles if they are not on the menu.

I'd rather go to Seastar and pay no corkage than Ponti any day of the week. ^

Jun 8, 2012 | 10:51 am

#32

DJGMaster1

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeeves

I appreciate all of the comments including those about the wine service and the Bordeaux wines of 1986. For those who are interested, I probably had about thirty 1986 Bordeaux wines at one time that I bought within a few years of the release date. I took a look tonight and found out I am down to a dozen. Some of the wines had price stickers on them. From what I can tell I paid between $21-$36 for the wines. The storage has been decent but not ideal. They have been stored under my basement stairwell. They have been exposed to 60-65 degree temps most of the time and less than perfect humidity. None of the wines I have tasted have been bad and most have been good to great.

Here's what I have remaining:

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Chateau Cos D'Estournel
Chateau Talbot
Chateau Lynch Bages
Chateau Meyney
Chateau Leoville Barton
Chateau Gruaud Larose

My wife is a seafood nut who generally chooses bubbles over red any day. I may save my corkage fee for another restaurant experience. I am not worried about the storage conditions other than dealing with a dry cork. The wines still have a youthful appearance. I have a pressurized cork screw to get the tough ones out.

Some nice stuff there. I've had several of them, including the Cos, Lynch, Leoville Barton, and Gruaud Larose.

Jun 8, 2012 | 11:51 am

#33

Jeeves

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Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronKamp

Thanks for the tip. Besides Seastar, can you name a few more.

Jun 8, 2012 | 11:55 am

#34

DLSIZE

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$22 is nothing out of line

Jun 8, 2012 | 12:15 pm

#35

vmsea

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The OP is in Seattle?

$22 is odd but not out of line
Cheap places are $10, normal is 15-20.
Nice places 25, 30 all within reason.

People who don't appreciate wine will think a $20 bottle of wine as too expensive.. People who have a collection of 1986 bordeaux probably don't think so.

So yah.. $22 is very reasonable if it's a decent place.

From your list. I'd take the Pichon Lalande..

Jun 8, 2012 | 1:26 pm

#36

TBD

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Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

I agree that it might seem like a lot for people who haven't often paid corkage fees, but the restaurants don't want you to bring in your own wine.

Then they ought to have decent wine

I wouldn't feel the need to bring my own if they weren't trying to rip me off with bad wine!

Jun 11, 2012 | 10:19 am

#37

JayhawkCO

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TBD

Then they ought to have decent wine

I wouldn't feel the need to bring my own if they weren't trying to rip me off with bad wine!

Oh, I agree. But some of the people who are against corkage fees maintain that position all the while forgetting that the restaurant has to make a profit too, otherwise you can't enjoy their good food with your good wine. @:-)

Chris

Jun 11, 2012 | 12:16 pm

#38

nkedel

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Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

OTOH, they'd better be able to make SOME kind of a profit on the food regardless... if not, non-drinkers and near-teetotalers like my wife and I (respectively) are gonna be banned.

Jun 12, 2012 | 2:00 pm

#39

JayhawkCO

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Quote:

Originally Posted by nkedel

OTOH, they'd better be able to make SOME kind of a profit on the food regardless... if not, non-drinkers and near-teetotalers like my wife and I (respectively) are gonna be banned.

Well, the heavy drinkers among us (yours truly) will happily subsidize your teetotalishness.

Chris

Jun 12, 2012 | 2:25 pm

#40

slawecki

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TBD

Then they ought to have decent wine

I wouldn't feel the need to bring my own if they weren't trying to rip me off with bad wine!

i feel that way when i go to va to eat, and all the ripoffs have is va wine. who is really trying to rip you off. wine on most american wine lists are priced at 2xwholesale. there is a restaurant in del ray that is tied to the wine store next door. you can go there, select your bottle, and it will be carried to the restaurant for you. the prices are approximately standard retail. they have a selection of a couple thousand kinds and flavors.

i hardly ever find a wine list that does not have a few "decent" bottles of wine. maybe the problem is with the restaurants you frequent.

i really detest people using the word rip off about a trade from people outside that trade. restaurant is a really tough business(i am not in the restaurant trade)