Did you know many restaurants allow you to bring a bottle from your personal wine collection? Whether visiting a wine-centered destination like Napa Valley or dining at your favorite restaurant at home, there’s something special about bringing a special selection from your cellar. We’ve put together our top four tips for toting your favorite wines.
1.
Get inspired.
Is there a special bottle from your wine collection you’re particularly excited about opening? A wine that’s uniquely suited to the occasion you’re celebrating? Any dishes on the restaurant menu that would be a great match for your wine? We recommend scanning the restaurant’s food and wine menus in advance when thinking about which wine to bring. (Tip: the best wines to bring are bottles that don’t have a presence on the wine list— a hard-to-find wine, a member-exclusive bottle, or, a wine with a little bottle age).
2.
Bring a bottle, buy a bottle.
For every bottle you’re bringing from home to dine out, we recommend ordering a bottle from the restaurant wine list as well. This shows respect to the restaurant sommeliers and wine directors who worked hard putting together their list to pair with the restaurant cuisine.
3.
Communicate your serving requests.
Let your server know you’ve brought a bottle from home and whether you’d like it chilled, decanted, opened right away, or served with a particular course.
4.
Share the love.
Particularly if you’ve brought a special bottle from your cellar, don’t hesitate to invite the restaurant sommelier to taste the wine– or leave a glass at the end of the bottle for them to share with their team after closing.
*Pro Tip: Restaurants often charge a corkage fee. We recommend checking the restaurant’s website or calling to confirm the details.
Round Pond Recommendations:
With quantities so small that the wines are only available from the winery, these are our favorite Round Pond wines to bring to restaurants.
