Another Wine Grizzle

[Kuya John]

Corkage is quite the norm, most places don't really want you to bring your own wine to the premises.

What does shock me though is the price for corkage, 300p-600p ? (you can buy a good bottle of wine here in UK for that)

Anyway corkage is a bit old fashioned these days, few wines still have corks, it's mostly screw tops!

My favourite wine at present is a White Zinfandel......cheers :cheersty:

[MacBubba]

Manila restaurants have always charged for corkage, but I don't know what the fee is.  Luckily, our friends are in the good graces of restaurateurs who allow us to bring our own selections to dinner, will chill wine if needed, and waive corkage.

 

I always look forward to those dinners!

[Gratefuled]

RBM, I would be looking for another place to stay. I enjoy my red wine chilled to. I only drink a glass with Italian food. My preference is Lambrusco Reggiano and it's hard to find so I buy a lot of it when I find it. I found some at SM mall.

[scott h]

So one can imagine my shock when a few days later there is an about turn.

 

Got it RBM. The reason I asked is that I am the type of bloke that always bumps it up the food chain. If I had been doing something for a long time, and all of a sudden the policy changes for no apparent reason, I would start by doing what you did, speak to the manager. If the answer had no logical reason I personally would have asked for the owners contact information. Because if you have been drinking your wine there for a while and their were no problems and you were a repeat customer this sudden change in policy just makes no sense. It all really depends on how strongly you feel about this.

 

I'm sorry RBM about your issues dealing with this Filipino culture.

 

Sometime I feel that we as "visitors" here are oversensitive to what we sometimes automatically assign to "Filipino" culture. Is there a possibility that the manager just was having a bad day and felt like making someone else's life miserable? We usually never find out because we back down and say to ourselves "it must be a cultural thing" shake our heads and move on.

 

 

Me, personally, My rose colored glasses are not tinted so much that I think I can change everything that bugs me. But just perhaps I can effect just a teeny bit of change to those little things around me.

 

Let me relate something that happened to me recently. We have our major Bank account at BPI. There is also a Barangay Credit Union only a 3 minute walk from my front door that my wife has been a member of since she was a little girl. We decided to place a sum of pesos in the credit union for convenience and to be part of the community. When we opened the account we were told that only Filipino citizens can be members. We nodded our heads and accepted it. After awhile I got to thinking "this just doesn't seem right". So I went and talked to the new accounts person, yes I was told, Filipinos only. (now I am a regular there, we pay our bills there at the Bayad center, and I make deposits etc) I politely asked the lady to double check it for me. The next week the same answer. I politely asked to see the credit union by laws. I read them and sure enough, in black and white it says full voting members MUST be Filipino citizens. BUT in the fine print section it mentioned a "special adult depositor" category. hmmmmmmmm a loophole maybe? I brought this to the attention of the new account lady and asked her to research it. The next week the answer was "our legal person is looking into it". The next week "our legal person is looking into it". The next week "our legal person is looking into it" I raised my eyebrows and asked POLITELY "How often is your legal person here a week?" "3 days a week sir". At that answer I put a look of amused amazement on my face, chuckled and shook my head. "Perhaps I should talk to the manager" says I. "She is sick with the Chicken pox today" At that I just laughed and said I would return next week.----------Well, last Friday I was paying a bill, talking with a neighbor in line and the new accounts lady came up to us and said "The legal person would like a copy of your 13A visa sir" I don't know what the final result will be, but with polite inquiries and just not rolling over I just might have effected some change. We all know the old saying "If the problem is to hard, lets ignore it and maybe it will go away. Not once did I do the UGLY AMERICAN thing, stand on the desk, raise my voice just steady persistence.

 

I am really sorry for the rant and ramble and my little story is not really germane to your situation. But RBM if you really like drinking wine at this hotel/restaurant and have been doing it a long time with no problems in the past and if you really feel strongly about it. Fight it! Do the leg work, talk to the owner. There are times when we can change those things around us, if we try.  

[Jack Peterson]

We don't have this problem as we don't Drink Wine but it has come up before so I went back and remembered something I posted.

As such in life there is always two sides to a story, so I offer this as something I think those that are interested, can judge things from Both Sides :thumbsup:

 

  http://www.mauricescru.com/2013/04/corkage-fee/#.VezZVdKqqko

 

Whilst I would never takes sides on these things, we should Remember that a Business is a Business and likely this Particular Manager has just been talking to another Hotel Owner/ Manager and suddenly realized they are Missing out 

 

JP :tiphat:

Morning All  :morning1:

[mogo51]

1. Red Wine should not be chilled. I know what you are thinking, because of the heat, but it actually disturbs the tannins and alters the flavor of the wine. Subject of an on going debate between me and my Aussie mate who lives in a deluxe condo in Eastwood, yet still refrigerates the wine. It's tough in the heat but you should not expose it to the sun and still drink at room temperature.

2. Most Aussies don't agree, they have their own approach, but I can assure you my approach is correct.There is an item called a wine cooler which assures you will get the wine at room temperature, about 23 degrees.Chilling the wine and keeping it at room temperature are 2 different things

3. Corkage fee is standard isn't it? In restaurants here and there. I get your point, but they haven't only imposed that on you, surely it's across the board?

4. I had it only once in the Philippines, 600 pesos. Like you I as shocked, but of course I did not open my wine that day.

 

 

 

Have disagree with you on 1. of your post.  Many years ago was a frequent traveller to Hunter Valley , king of Shiraz coungry.  Went to several wine appreciaton evenings by people such as Murray Tyrell, renowned wine master.  He once explained  that 1/2 hour or so,

in a fridge for red wine is appropriate, expecially in the warmer months, as 'room temperatue' in Australia is often much higher than say

UK or Europe.  Your Aussie mate is correct, cheers Chris.

[Mike S]

Well as usual I spin a different thought on this subject ..... if I walked into a nice little garden setting and saw someone drinking their bottle of red wine and found out they didn't have to pay the corkage I would be pretty upset especially if I had to ..... to me rules are to be used for everybody .... JMHO

 

I agree with Jake ..... seems more about "saving face" than anything and she probably just got tired of talking to you and gave in knowing that she could change it on a later date ......

 

I do how ever don't see any reason for charging you for a bottle of wine you have in your car as long as it isn't opened ...... suppose you went shopping and bought a case to take back home ...... but again a rule is a rule .....

 

As there are a number of nice places to stay in the Cebu area I personally would find another hotel ...... by the way as you probably already know telling them you won't be returning will make no difference ....... you'll just get the deer in the headlights look and 2 minutes after you walk out they will forget about you ........ JMHO

:cheersty:

[Dave Hounddriver]

As there are a number of nice places to stay in the Cebu area I personally would find another hotel

we have been staying at Saltimbocca Tourist Inn Bacolod

 

Are you in Bacolod, Mike?  Maybe you could suggest a more suitable Inn?

[Old55]

Put the chilled wine into a beer bottle in your hotel room.

Take the dark glass beer bottle out to the garden

Drink as needed.

Repeat as necessary. 

Edited September 7, 2015 by Old55

[RBM]

Thanks guys for all the informative feed back, appreciated. Just like to clarify one point which I seem to of failed on.

Yes we do drink red wine regularly, How ever almost never in this hotel. ( just occasionally in garden)

We do how ever bring our wine to Bacolod and previously asked them to keep in the fridge. Was never a problem.

We import our wines so no need to buy local.

I agree if we never return makes not a scrap of difference to management, we are forgotten instantly.

First time ever I did an airbnb search and came up with a nice studio condo in a good location. Three days min stay but can drink all the wine we want Ha!!! Not sure how it works or how it's paid so would sure appreciate some feed back.