Wine Shopping
On July 19, B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Rich Coleman announced the province’s new ‘Bring Your Own Wine’ initiative. Effective immediately, restaurant patrons can bring a bottle of wine with them to enjoy with their meal. B.C. joins six other provinces that already offer this option to diners.
“It allows customers to pair their favourite wine with their favourite restaurant,” says Coleman, the minister responsible for liquor regulations. “Patrons will be required to have the wine served in the same manner as wine selected from the menu and restaurants may charge a corkage fee for this service.”
Coleman calls BYOW part of his government’s effort to “modernize” B.C.’s liquor laws. This action has received support from BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association President and CEO Ian Tostenson, who says, “This gives the industry the flexibility to get people out and dine more.”
Under the BYOW program only commercially-produced wines are allowed. This means wine purchased from government or private liquor stores, wine stores, or outside the province. Boxed wine is okay, but UVin and homemade wine are not permitted.
Restaurant participation in the Bring Your Own Wine program is voluntary and there is flexibility in how they choose to implement it. They can restrict the BYOW option to wines not on their own wine list. Owners set the corkage fee charged by their establishment, ranging from around 10 to 30 dollars per bottle. Some restauranteurs use “no corkage” nights as a promotion to attract customers on quiet weekday nights. Others offer lower corkage fees for local wines.
Leftover wine can be taken home once the container has been resealed with a cork or screw cap by restaurant staff. If the customer is driving home, the wine must be placed somewhere not readily accessible in the vehicle.
Josie Tyabji, Chair of the BC Wine Institute, calls it a very positive change. “In general, it is good for the wineries and for tourism. People can visit a winery and buy a bottle that they can then take to a restaurant,”she says. “It’s good for restaurants who can’t carry a large selection of wines, especially for restaurants in wine country.”
According to wine law expert Mark Hicken the change is a ‘win-win-win’ for consumers, wine producers and restaurant owners. “There is no down side to this decision,” he says. “First, people often want to be able to drink a wine of their own choice. You might have a bottle stored away for a special occasion, and now you can bring it to your favourite restaurant.”
Mark von Schellwitz, vice-president for Western Canada for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association agrees. “Restauranteurs, especially those with limited wine inventories, welcome the option of allowing their guests to bring their own wine.”
But Sidney’s Bistro Suisse owner Lucien Frauenfelder is not convinced and has decided against participating. He says, “Our wines are low-priced already. It doesn’t make any sense to charge $10 on a $10 bottle of wine.” Even with the corkage fee, he says, there are still the costs of paying for staff, washing the glasses, breakage (“…and I still have to buy the glasses”). “To me, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
On the Sidney waterfront, Rumrunner Pub and Restaurant owner Bill Singer is on board with the BYOW initiative and has implemented a $20 corkage fee. “It won’t make any particularly great difference,” he says. “The odd person may bring in a bottle of wine, but if it happens more than ten times a year, I’ll be surprised.”
The fine dining restaurants may see more impact, says Singer, but the Rumrunner is an “average to medium priced restaurant.” He adds, “For the industry at my level, it won’t make a difference but I don’t want to turn a customer away if he’s brought his own wine.”
