Wine for Dragons

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Wine News : Corkage fees in Singapore

The Strait Times on 19 May Sunday wrote about the Corkage Fees in Singapore by Rebecca Lynne Tan.
I read the article and wanted to pen down several thoughts.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/SoShiok/Story/A1Story20130521-424304.html
  • The reason given for the corkage charge "The corkage charge is there because we handle the wine with care, we decant if necessary and we provide and use the most suitable glass for that particular wine." is so lame and unbelievable that the journalist actually published it. All that work does not cost $50-$100.
  • The main reason for restaurants to charge a corkage fee is that they actually mark up the prices of the wine by up to 300% ! If you bring your own wine to the restaurant, even with the corkage fees, you will be better off financially (depending on the price of course, more expensive the less the fraction of corkage it is).
  • The public service done by the journalist is to list down the restaurants that have BYOB and one-for-one offers.
  • But in conclusion, prices for wines in Singapore restaurants are out-of-the-world and you are better off enjoying your wines at home.