Descorche
What is becoming more and more fashionable in Spanish restaurants today is the so-called "descorche" or "uncorking" fee. This means that the restaurant visitor takes his / her own bottle of wine to the venue and then consumes it during the meal. Handy for those who know that the wine list of the restaurant isn’t of their taste or for those who consider the offered wine in their favorite restaurant is too pricey. Be sure to call in advance that you plan to bring your own wine because not every restaurant admits it...
This new use is gradually gaining popularity in Europe, including Spain, although the implementation here is not going too smoothly. The principle is simple; you take your own bottle of wine to the restaurant where you are going to eat and the waiter uncorks the bottle and pours it out exactly as he would have done than if you had chosen a bottle of wine from the wine list. This operation is therefore called "descorche" and costs on average about € 10. - per bottle. You will receive an amount for this service afterwards on your bill.
The reason that this new service outside Spain is more successful is simply because the restaurants in most European and American countries use a profit margin that, compared to the Spanish margins, can be called enormous. Luis García de la Navarra, president of Madrid's sommelier club, says the following; "In Spain, which some may also claim, profit margins are generally much smaller than in other countries. On average, € 8. - is put on top of a bottle and that is the selling price. In my own restaurant I ask € 8.- for the descorche so there is no difference when a customer takes his / her own wine. "
Juan Carlos Martínez, sommelier of restaurant "Ten con Ten" asks € 10. - for this service and let us know; "We have introduced this as a sign of goodwill to our customers. I have to say that it is not very often that someone brings his own bottle. Reason for this is perhaps that we have about 600 different wines on the menu and there is actually something for everyone. If the customer still wants to take his own wine, we will set a condition there; one must indicate in advance when booking that his own wine is brought along and it may not be on our own wine list. "
In the US, this use is already applied in a lot of restaurants. The reason for this is actually very simple; Eating out in this country is usually a costly activity anyway. Apart from the pricey food, people get also charged an average of about 20% tip. So if an expensive bottle of wine is added upon these already high costs, it is not fun anymore for many people. By permitting the customers to bring their own bottle of wine, the threshold to eat out is reduced and the restaurants that take part in it will receive more customers...
Roel Peters RP-Vinos USA
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