Ask the WC 30: BYOB, wine for friends, California fires

This edition of Ask the WC: The BYOB conundrum, wine for friends who don’t necessarily drink wine, and California’s 2021 wildfire season

Because the customers always have questions, and the Wine Curmudgeon has answers in this irregular feature. You can Ask the Wine Curmudgeon a wine-related question by clicking here.

Dear Wine Curmudgeon:
So this BYOB thing doesn’t track for me. Why should a restaurant — which seems to make so much money from wine — let me bring my own wine?
Perplexed diner

Dear Diner:
BYOB — or bring your own bottle — has long been part of restaurant wine. The reasons vary: Some restaurants offer it because they don’t want to bother with the aggravation that is a liquor license, while some see BYOB as adding value to their wine offerings. In addition, in some states, it’s legal to do BYOB but not legal to sell alcohol and some states forbid it. And don’t worry about restaurants being short-changed. Most that do BYOB charge what’s called a corkage fee, say $10 a bottle, for each bottle you bring in. I’ve long been a proponent of BYOB, since it gives diners who might not was to spend $75 for a bottle a chance to drink wine with dinner. This, of course, has elicited harsh criticism from many of my colleagues.

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Hey WC:
Most of my friends don’t drink wine — when there’s a party, I’m about the only one who brings any, and hardly anyone drinks it. So what kind of wine should I bring? It’s kind of embarrassing to have take two mostly full bottles home with me.
Embarrassed

Dear Embarrassed:
Bring rose, even if it’s a little sweet, and make sure it’s as cold as possible — so, if necessary, put some ice cubes in it. The idea is to let everyone know that wine is as just as much fun as some overpriced carbonated water with a bit of booze and fruit flavoring. And rose, of course, is the natural version of that stuff.
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Hello, Wine Curmudgeon:
I haven’t seen much on the blog this summer about the California wildfires. How have they affected the wine country?
Watching the news

Dear News:
That there hasn’t been much news is good news. This has been another difficult fire season, but — so far  — the fires haven’t affected the state’s wine regions too much. I’ve talked to several producers who have said they’ve mostly been able to finish harvest without too much worry about fires. This, of course, is far different from the past couple of years.

Photo: IntergalacticC vis Morguefile

More Ask the WC:
• Ask the WC 29: Birthday gifts, larger bottles, and on-line
• Ask the WC 28: Wine Curmudgeon ethics, sweet red wine, and wine spending
• Ask the WC 27: Pandemic wine sales, red Burgundy, wine competitions