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What is a corkage fee?                              

MANY of us in the United Kingdom baulk at the percentage hikes restaurants put on wine, but many other countries allow you to bring your own wine when you come to dine.

However, this still comes at a price, but this is often far more palatable than paying more than double for a bottle.

The corkage fee is a charge levied by restaurants on diners who wish to bring their own wine with them. This fee is generally low (often the price of their cheapest bottle) and is effectively a tip to the restaurant for their trouble in serving your wine to you.

But you can still come out as a winner. Just think, you’ve been on a wine tasting and buying trip to the Loire Valley, picked up some excellent bottles at bargain prices and want to enjoy it out.

Okay, so you’ll have to pay the fee, but you’ll be drinking much better wine for a much lower price, even when you’ve added together the original cost and the corkage fee.

Restaurants earn huge profits from the mark-up on wine so the corkage fee is a sop to this loss. Saying that, some restaurants are happy to waive the corkage fee as long as you order a bottle or two from their own list - fine if you’re in a big party, but perhaps not practical if you’re on a romantic night out as a couple, unless you can seriously handle your alcohol.

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It is also customary to allow the sommelier at the restaurant to taste the wine you have brought with you and for him to give his opinion, whether good or bad.

Widespread in America and Australia, it is always best not to assume that a restaurant will offer this service - always phone the restaurant before arriving with your bottle, or mention it when you book your table.