You have a wonderful bottle of fine wine reserved for a special occasion. Instead of cooking at home, you decide to go to a restaurant for a celebration, and you’d love to enjoy that bottle of wine. Some restaurants welcome guest with their own wine, some do if asked, and some absolutely forbid it. Be sure to call ahead to save any awkward moments. Ask to speak to the manager or owner and say, “I’d very much appreciate it if I could bring a bottle that is special to me—a ’94 Mondavi that we bought on a trip to Napa. Of course, I am happy to pay the corkage fee.” Don’t be afraid to ask what the corkage fee will be. The fee can range from $10 to $25 a bottle, depending upon whether you are at a casual, fine, or top restaurant. If you arrive with your bottle unannounced, you may wind up paying a corkage that is a corker!

A couple of things to avoid:

Don’t bring a commonly available wine. It signals that you are just trying to save a buck.

Never, ever bring a wine already on their wine list.

Remember that you saved a lot of money by bringing your own wine but the waiter should not be penalized for your astuteness. Figure a fair price for your wine and adjust the gratuity appropriately to include 15 to 10 percent for your server. And since a restaurant relies heavily on the profit from its wine list, you shouldn’t make a habit of abusing the privilege.

Christine Ansbacher, DWS, CWE is a wine expert and the author of Secrets from The Wine Diva: Tips on Buying, Ordering and Enjoying Wine. To order her book and see video clips of her on TV sharing practical tips that will save you time, money and aggravation go to http://www.thewinediva.com/wine-book