DOs and DON’Ts of Corkage

Now don’t get me wrong, I also love to patronize a restaurant with a fabulous wine list and choose from the great stuff they already offer, but sometimes the mood strikes to bring my own. Maybe I want to pull a bottle from my getting-to-big-for-my-kitchen collection, or a special occasion with friends or family calls for a particular bottle I’ve been saving. Bottom line is…I love to have the option.

In the Cincinnati area it’s tough to find the restaurants where you can be sure bringing your own bottle won’t elicit disappointing stares from restaurant management. To help ease your fears I’ve started a list below that I hope you’ll help add to.

Slims – Northside
Slims is one of my favorite Cincinnati restaurant experiences, because it truly is an experience (and usually not a short one…it’s part of the laid-back vibe). Amazing food, warm atmosphere and a BYOB policy with no corkage fee.
Hamilton Avenue in Northside – 513.681.6500 – Website

Otto’s – MainStrasse
Located in Covington’s historic MainStrasse district, Otto’s knows how to do simple food really, really well. The Greek Flatbread appetizer should be illegal. Pair it with whatever wine you want to bring for only a $15 corkage fee, or select from their wine list.
Main Street in MainStrasse/Covington – 859.491.6678 – Website

Suzie Wong’s – East Walnut Hills
Located where Seny used to be in East Walnut Hills, Suzie Wong’s so far has been getting great reviews for their take on Asian cuisine (check out Polly Campbell’s review on Cincinnati.com). They’ve applied for a liquor license but for now you can bring-your-own wine for a $5 corkage fee.
Madison Avenue in East Walnut Hills – 513.751.3333 – Website

Dilly Deli – Mariemont
Dilly Deli is such a fun place to have lunch or dinner…music in the evenings, kind of a sports bar during the day on weekends, and always really good food. Dilly Deli is a restaurant and wine store, carrying close to 1000 bottles. Although not an official bring-your-own wine spot, you can purchase one of their many bottles and enjoy with dinner for just a modest service fee vs. the standard 20-40% mark up at many other restaurants.
Wooster Pike in the Mariemont Strand – 513.561.5233 – Website

Vitor’s Bistro – Cheviot
Their take on french toast is what Vitor’s is best known for, but their dinner menu is pretty darn good as well. Vitor’s is completely BYOB with just a $6 corkage fee.
Harrison Avenue in Cheviot – 866.455.1020 – Website

Asiana – Oakley
Known for good sushi and noodle dishes, Asiana is one of those places you can drive by a hundred times and never notice. It’s a few doors down from The Wine Merchant if that helps. You can grab a bottle there and enjoy it at Asiana with no corkage fee.
Edwards Avenue in Oakley – 513.351.0999

It’s also good to be aware of good “bring-your-own-wine” etiquette before putting yourself in an awkward situation. The Food & Wine blog highlights a few great tips:

• Call the restaurant ahead of time just to be sure, especially if you’re bringing a large group and multiple bottles.
• Inquire about the fee, because corkage can get expensive.
• Never bring a cheap wine, especially not one that’s cheaper than the least expensive wine on the list.
• Offer the sommelier a taste out of respect.
• Buy a bottle for every bottle you bring at places that have a list.

I’m sure there are more great Cincinnati-area restaurants with a bring-your-own or corkage fee policy, so please help build a comprehensive list by adding a comment below.

So drink up at our great local restaurants…and then call a cab!

Click here if the video doesn’t appear below.

Fear no more (or at least less!). There are several easy ways to preserve your wine once opened, keeping your wine tasting superb for a week or even longer. Our favorite wine show, In Wine Country, and Master Sommelier, Evan Goldstein visually show us how to get the job done.

If the video doesn’t appear above please click here to view. Thanks!

Each week we’ll be bringing featured segments to Uncorked Cincinnati, but we encourage everyone to check out the In Wine Country website as they really do a fantastic job.

In this segment we give a shout out to a P&G’s Dawn liquid soap and the role it plays in getting out wine stains.  This is an especially timely post for me given my unfortunate run-in last night with a glass of Hope Estate “The Ripper” shiraz.   : )

Three things can affect how your wine tastes: light, temperature and air. Fortunately these variables are fairly easy to control with just a little bit of knowledge around storage, aeration, serving temperature and stemware to use.

Storage
In general you should keep your wine stored in a dark location at a constant temperature, away from sunlight and other direct light. Because most wine is consumed within a couple of days after purchasing a small wine rack away from any direct heat or light should do the trick. For longer term storage a cool location with a constant temperature (around 55 degrees is ideal…underneath basement stairs is a great option) becomes more critical to preserving your wines.

For the short term, thought, keep your wine away from light and under 70 degrees.

Aeration
Air can be your wine’s greatest enemy as too much can lead to oxidation and very unappealing looking and tasting wine. On the flip side just the right amount of air can go along way in opening up your wine to reveal its intended aromas and flavors. Aeration is especially important for young wines which happen to be many of the wines you will purchase from Cincinnati-area winemakers. There are several aeration methods:

Traditional: Use of an aeration funnel and a decanter is the most commonly used method of aerating wines. A decanter is a vessel, usually a glass bottle with a wide opening, for holding and serving wine. The aeration funnel combined with the increased surface area of the decanter allows for more efficient aeration. Decanters also provide the added benefit of separating occasional sediment from the clear wine.

Modern: Innovative wine aerator design and even electric aerators can speed up the aeration process.

My favorite little gadget is the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator. It has a super sleek design and is perfect for individual glass pours. In my opinion you should taste a noticeable difference.

Old School: If you’re not in a hurry you can always glass aerate by simply letting the wine slowly aerate in your glass.

Serving
There are two key things to think about when serving your wine: temperature and stemware.

Temperature is easy, right? Reds at room temperature, whites chilled. WRONG! It’s not quite that simple. Contrary to popular belief you will most likely need to chill your reds just a bit, and potentially not chill your whites so much. Below is a great wine-chilling guide from Wine Spectator I have found extremely helpful.

Surprisingly enough, stemware can also influence wine quite a bit, including sight, aroma and taste. According to Wine Spectator, many wines glasses are too small, and a few are too large. In general, they say, a good red wine glass will have a capacity of at least 12 ounces. The stem of the glass should also be long enough so your hand does not come in contact with the bowl, which will warm the wine.

Armed with this information we hope you begin getting a bit more enjoyment out of your wine at home. Now go pour a glass!