I guess I really brought two different issues to the discussion table here, one the over inflated price of buying wine @ at a restaurant (with an average markup of over 400%) and two the promulgation of inexpensive quaffers flooding wine menus across the country, posing as something palatable at infalted prices. Which is why on count one, I whole heartedly believe in
BYOB! and in the future and my god I know this will sound pretentious as hell, but
BYOG as well. Once you are comfortable with the practice it is relatively seemless! My wife just rolled her eye's at me, for the mere suggestion of BYOG and a carrying case! You know she's thinking,
"someone stop him please, he is out of control!" That said, yes I'll will admit it I have become a "cork-dork" ! Some might say I've become a wine snob! But I am tired of drinking wine from glasses thicker than Aunt Mildred's glasses,
so thick and clunky you could potentially take out a mugger with the damn thing! So if you see me with my
"little wine purse", please don't disparage me too harshly as I imagine you have wished that you too had the
temerity to do the same! Also very tired of drinking "plonk" wine with over inflated prices, I mean c'mon on folks (speaking to restaurateur's) do you really think I don't know what you paid for that wine on the menu? A 400% markup is ridiculous by any standard, I know you need to make a profit but c'mon! (you can also see that statement posted at
RantnRave.com) J/k. So for me to BYOB for a $10.00 -$15.00 corkage it is so worth it!
If I am out and about happen to want to dine without my little wine-purse, then I will stop by a grocery store pick up a similar bottle and pay corkage. Saves me some green and little frustration!
On point two, about the "boutique" wine from real winemakers and the cost per bottle difference, frankly there is no comparison! Bronco wines makes plonk (yes it's a real word), pure and simple! Real winemakers produce a wine(s) that's not only on another level, it's on another playing field! I'm saying it's the little league vs. the major league comparison. Here's another way of looking at it, you have suave and sophisticated and theirs (bronco) is insipid and boring! Purple koolaide for adults!
But some folks are happy to drink these wines, but what they don't know is that for maybe a few dollars more they could be drinking an Italian wine like the one featured in my blog for $7.99! Click on this link:
http://cuveecorner.blogspot.com/2009/03/tormaresca-2007-neprica-red... and see you don't have to spend a fortune to buy a some-what serious wine, that definitely has some refinement and special qualities compared to drinking plonk for $2!
World Wide Words: Plonk
