Obviously, this is a poll and therefore flawed.
I am perfectly happy to open the wine, and actually have a marginal preference to pour the wine, but I have zero interest in schlepping a decanter or stemware to a restaurant (absent some truly extraordinary circumstances I am not able to envision at the moment). When I BYOB, I usually have a Durand in the bag just in case. If the bottle is old, they are usually happy to have me handle that process.
If I’m bringing older wine to a restaurant, I usually double decant the wine at home. I find this has the benefit of saving the waiter from having to deal with an old cork and keeps the sediment from being stirred up on the ride over.
As with others it really depends. The restaurant, the wine in question, my group size. I will say I only bring glassware for large group/wine dinners.
Adult diapers here, too.
Just last weekend got caught out on this. Fairly decent place, had stood up some bottles a week+ in advance and carefully brought a few bottles for our friend to choose from and he chose an '05 CNdP.
Friend is a regular there and knows the server pretty well. She’s very experienced and immediately asked if we’d like it decanted, which was a good sign. Opened the bottle carefully, then while we were in mid-conversation, turns the thing upside down into the decanter. F&ck.
Not inexpensive ($35) corkage to boot.
It’s a great idea but some restaurants here will not permit you to bring in an open container. Cork has to be popped there
Our group has a split between people who double decant at home and those who bring closed bottles to the restaurant (plus whites and Champagnes are opened at the restaurant). We generally open the unopened ourselves. I keep a Durand in my wine carrying case in case it is needed - a couple of others do also.
We generally pour but use restaurant stems.
Other than trying to reduce sediment with a careful pour why is just turning it upside a bad thing? I presume the server wouldn’t pour sediment into the glass.
In group tastings, we generally handle almost everything. We may ask for decanters and some glasses from the restaurant. But we usually bring our own stems, open the wines and pour ourselves. When I go to a restaurant with my spouse, if the wine has some age on it, I may bring my own Durand to open it as even very fancy restaurants still open everything with a waiter’s friend, which easily destroys older corks even in very skilled hands. I then leave the wine to them to decant, pour, etc., except in those restaurants that, even when they serve their own wine, clearly want you to do your own pouring.
If you turn it upside down, you effectively distribute the sediment throughout the wine. If you have fine sediment suspended everywhere, no server on earth can avoid pouring it into the glass.
Really depends. We do a weekly Saturday blind luncheon with anywhere from 6-20 people. We prefer to handle ever detail. On the contrary we regularly dine at RPM and we prefer to simply hand them our wines upon arrival, we discuss the order and then we relax. They decant everything and our guy keeps our glasses full.
When you bring a bottle like that how do you not decant prior to arriving at the restaurant? I am sure some states don’t allow that but MN no issues.
I rarely decant, but simply allow the wine to open in the glass. Works well enough for me, albeit not for everybody.
I never allow a restaurant to decant my wines. I always smell and view each glass, before pouring.
Nothing worse than a restaurant which insufficiently rinses its glasses and decanters of soap residue, thereby ruining the subsequent contents.
I am always amazed at how many people use a dish washer for nice glasses. How hard is it to wash with hot water? I never use any detergent with any of my wine glasses and use Bounty Paper towels to dry them all.
Not too long ago, one popular midtown Noo Yawk steakhouse was the site of a WB offline. All the wine glasses smelled of chlorine and detergent…and so did the wines in them.
For the optimal dining experience I believe in letting the chef be the chef and the server being the server. There is sometimes a price to pay for this but it’s still my preferred way to go.
The last three States in which I’ve lived don’t allow Corkage. However, under controlled conditions, our wine groups have found restaurants that would facilitate us byob. If we wanted to decant, and/or double decant, and put it back in the bottle we could do that. None would do that seven (7) decant the wine might need.
We usually have to have a group member deliver the wine early . One can’t walk in with a visible bottle of wine. Beyond that early decant, the restaurant staff does everything.
Some States I’ve lived in have strict liability laws for those serving alcohol. The restaurant is legally liable if alcohol is served to someone apparently drunk. No way in hell are those establishments going to allow a patron to free pour alcohol to another patron or themselves. I think places like NYC with ease of public transportation can play to looser rules than some other places.
I usually open and pour the wine myself. There are a few servers I have let do it when I knew and trusted them.
I have taken restaurant purchases from the server when they were doing a bad job. I explained to one the proper technique for using a double hinged key. He said it was defective. I told him he had not been properly trained.
Glassware is tough. I have taken my own but my wife really does not like me to go that far, so I usually acquiesce to her.
I have new corks and foil at home and use a Portuguese Double Lever Corker to recork.
I use new foil covers and put the bottle in hot water for a few seconds and when I go to the restaurant, they never consider a 2nd thought the bottle has been open before.
Soon this will be called Corkage Beserkers… seems like that’s the only topic we’re talking about 