Bringing your own bottle, gracefully.

Corkage in Hong Kong is less about the fee than about the preparation. Bringing your own bottle is common in the city, so restaurants have seen every kind of guest, from the one who calls ahead and arrives with the wine ready to serve to the one who turns up unannounced with a warm bottle and a list of requests.

Being the first kind costs nothing but a phone call and a little planning. Ask when you book, bring a bottle that deserves the fee, deliver it at the right temperature, share it with the people looking after it and settle up gracefully.

Corkage in Hong Kong starts with a phone call

Policies differ from one restaurant to the next and they change, so never assume. When you book, ask:

• Whether they accept bottles from outside at all and on which days.
• What the corkage fee is and whether it is charged per bottle.
• How many bottles they will take per table.
• Whether there are corkage-free days or a different arrangement when you also order from their list.
• Whether they have suitable glasses for your wine and can decant or chill it.

Mention anything that needs special handling at the same time: an old bottle to decant, a white that needs an ice bucket, a magnum.

A restaurant that knows what is coming can prepare; one that finds out at the door can only improvise.

What to bring

Bring something worth the fee and the sommelier's time. A mature bottle from your own cellar, a vintage that means something to the table, a wine the restaurant could not sell you: these are what corkage is for.

Never bring a wine that is on their list. If the list is published, check it; if not, ask when you call. Bringing a bottle the restaurant sells tells them you would rather not pay their price. It also takes a sale from the people about to serve you.

Think about the food too. The kitchen did not plan its menu around your cellar, so choose a bottle that suits the cooking. As for quantity, allow about half a bottle per guest over a three-hour dinner. Two bottles cover a table of four, whatever the corkage policy would allow.

When every guest brings a bottle, one person should speak to the restaurant for the whole table about the bottle count, the fee and the order of service. Agree a rough plan beforehand, whether a theme or simply a split of whites and reds. Without one, the table ends up with five big reds and nothing for the fish. Share the corkage as you would share the bill.

If the bottle is old and irreplaceable, bring a second option or be ready to order from the list. When a bottle you brought turns out to be corked, the loss is yours, since the restaurant has nothing to replace it with. Knowing how to spot a fault helps you decide quickly.

Bring it ready

The bottle should arrive ready to serve, not ready to be rescued.

• Temperature. A white or sparkling wine should arrive cold, in an insulated bag. A red should arrive cool, which on a hot day may mean a short spell in the fridge before you leave. Between a hot street and a cold dining room, serving temperature is the thing most likely to go wrong.
• Rest. A bottle that has been shaken about needs time to settle. An old bottle with sediment should stand upright for a day or two before the dinner so the deposit falls to the bottom; carry it upright and gently. Opening an old bottle covers the rest.
• From storage. If the wine lives in professional storage, retrieve it a few days early so it can settle after the move. Storing wine in Hong Kong explains why the last mile matters.
• Transport. Never leave the bottle in a hot car or in the sun while you run an errand. Carry it by hand in a padded or insulated bag and hand it over as soon as you arrive.

At the table

Hand the bottle to the sommelier or the manager on arrival and explain the plan: when to open it, whether to decant and whether it needs an ice bucket. Let them open it. A good sommelier may taste a little to check it is sound, which is part of the service. If you have brought more than one bottle, give the order of service too, usually lighter before fuller, younger before older and dry before sweet.

If the wine needs air or has sediment, ask for it to be decanted. How long to decant depends on the wine; the sommelier will have a view.

If you have brought something special, offer the sommelier a taste. It is a courtesy that costs a mouthful and is remembered.

Use the restaurant's glassware. If your wine deserves a particular shape, ask when you book. If you want to bring your own glasses, arrange it in advance, since handling someone else's fine crystal is a risk the staff should agree to beforehand.

Settling up gracefully

Expect the corkage on the bill, along with the service charge that many Hong Kong restaurants add.

Order from the list too if you can, perhaps a bottle of Champagne to start or a glass of something with dessert. It turns a transaction into a relationship and restaurants remember the guests who do it.

Pay the corkage without debate at the table. If the fee felt wrong, choose a different restaurant next time. If some wine is left, ask for the bottle to be recorked and take it home.

Corkage at a business dinner

At a business dinner, a bottle from your own cellar is a generous gesture, as long as the guests never see the logistics. Settle the fee, the decanting and the timing with the restaurant beforehand, so the wine simply appears at the right moment.

As a guest, do not arrive at someone else's dinner with a bottle for the table unannounced. Offer it to the host in advance or bring it as a gift they can keep for another day. Wine etiquette at a business dinner covers the rest, from ordering to toasting.

Before you go

1. When you book. Ask about the policy, the fee, the bottle limit, corkage-free days and glasses.
2. A few days before. Retrieve the bottle from storage and stand an old one upright.
3. On the day. Chill the whites, cool the reds and pack them in an insulated bag.
4. On arrival. Hand the bottle over with a plan and offer a taste of anything special.
5. At the end. Order something from the list and settle without fuss.

If you would rather hand over the bottles, the timing and the sommelier's questions altogether, we run fine dining and vintages dinners with partner venues.