The purpose of tasting your wine prior to pouring is to check quality and temperature. You want to taste the wine to be sure it is free from cork taint and oxidation. A corked bottle of wine has been infected by a pesky mold called Trichloroanisole (TCA) and an oxidized bottle of wine will have been exposed to excess oxygen, rendering it undrinkable. So, how do you know?

Please do not smell the cork. Smell the wine. Taste the wine as you normally would: swirl- sniff-sip and look for off-aromas like wet newspaper, mustiness, or even a complete lack of smell. These are all signs of a bottle that is suffering from one of the aforementioned problems. If you feel that you’ve got a sick bottle, send it back without hesitation. You should never pay for a damaged bottle of wine.

Then decide if your wine is at the appropriate temperature. Hopefully it has been stored at the proper temperature at the restaurant but if not, have them chill it down if need be. If everything tastes right, give the waiter the OK sign, and he will pour around the table. Cheers!

Look for Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Restaurant Award Winners of 2008, our picks for America’s premier wine-driven restaurants, announced in the upcoming February issue or search our online restaurant awards database.

5) Call the restaurant first, and ask what their “corkage policy” is. Policies change frequently so it’s always safe to ask.

4) Ask how much the corkage fee is in advance, so you are prepared. Restaurants may charge anywhere from $15-$50 per bottle, depending on the price of the wines on their list. It is rare for a restaurant to allow you to bring wine without charging a corkage fee, though some do.

3) Be sure that the wine you’re bringing isn’t on their list. It’s considered in poor taste to bring a wine that the restaurant offers.

2) Carry your wine in a fashionable wine bag.  We offer everything from handy Neoprene wine bags to leather shoulder carriers, so that you can “bring your own” in style. We even offer wine bags that hold stemware for you, if you are concerned about the restaurants’ selection.

1) When you are seated at the table, let the waiter know that you’ve brought your own wine and that you understand the policy of paying corkage for it. He’ll bring glassware and uncork the bottle for you, this is the service behind the corkage fee.

I hope that with these 5 golden rules, you’ll be comfortable bringing your own wine the next time you eat out! It’s a great way to save money, and take advantage of your collection. Do you ever bring your own wine? Leave a comment, and let us know!