Hope for MD and VA? And a Nationwide Survey

[scott c l a f f e e]

Wine Spectator covers bills in VA and MD to allow corkage and surveys that current state of BYOB in America:

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44507

[ilipner]

Looks like VA passed a bill today allowing corkage and MD is expected to follow suit later this year! Huzzah!

http://dcist.com/2011/02/virginia_antic ... corkag.php

[MOrsino]

This is a game changer and gets me a step closer to going back to the finer restaurants in NoVa, it will be interesting who besides the steakhouse companies will embrace this. Old Town and Arlington are ripe with great quality small proprietorship restaurants and I am guessing that many of them will drag their feet before providing the option - thanks for posting this amigo!

[Mike Heyse]

Testified in support of the MD bill last Friday. I'd give it a 50/50 shot of passing this year; the bills that are pending are "local" bills, meaning they are only for Baltimore City and Frederick County (home of Volt). MD's liquor laws are wacky.

Anyway, for whatever reason the MD restaurant association is opposed to corkage, despite the DC and VA groups of the same ilk being for it. MD's fears lost profit margin. I testified that because I can't bring wine with me, I often stay home for special occasions = lost margin either way.

Wine shipping is almost certainly a go, but corkage may remain bottled up for a while longer.