616147 Thu Apr 30 10:07:46 -0700 2009 17 57 Western Canada 0 4642451 I have an upcoming trip planned to Vancouver. I live in Los Angeles, where I can generally pay a small corkage fee to bring in my own bottle of wine. I would like to bring some special, rare bottles with me to restaurants in Vancouver. Does anyone know how this would be received? I have no problem paying corkage. I want to do this both at fine dining establishments as well as casual seafood and ethnic places. If the place also serves wine, I would generally buy a second bottle off their list. Thanks Thu Apr 30 10:07:46 -0700 2009 68093 wasabica 1 4642469 That's *strictly* against Liquor Control Board regulations any restaurateur doing that is risking his license to serve alcohol. Yes there are rumours about places that will but don't expect to see the names posted on the net -the Gubmint has connectivity too. Looks like you'll be paying the same huge markup the rest of us do. Thu Apr 30 10:12:17 -0700 2009 4642451 10785 Sam Salmon 2 4642482 What Sam said. It is illegal here. I say, bring the bottle, ask the staff (they may say yes) and be discrete. I've seen it done. Thu Apr 30 10:15:44 -0700 2009 4642469 145820 fmed 3 4642554 Wow, that is depressing, and so unfair. Any *unofficial* thoughts on whether or not I would have an easier time trying this with hole-in-the-walls or fine dining? Does it matter whether or not the place has a liquor license? Thu Apr 30 10:34:54 -0700 2009 4642482 68093 wasabica 4 4642623 I've heard it was done recently at a high-end place that shall remain nameless. I've only done it a million years ago in Chinatown at a HITW with no liquor licence. The BC liquor rules are so draconian, and it is so hard to get a liquor licence, that I can't see too many places risking it, especially for an unknown (though likely fabulous!) tourist, sadly. Thu Apr 30 10:53:41 -0700 2009 4642554 169233 grayelf 4 4642694 or you could just leave your wine at home. Just because you can do it where you live doesn't mean you can do it anywhere. Thu Apr 30 11:12:31 -0700 2009 4642554 144892 Dan G 5 4642849 no kidding. That was the point of my posting the question. Thu Apr 30 11:56:15 -0700 2009 4642694 68093 wasabica 6 4644525 I think some Chinese restaurants may allow you to bring your own wine for a corkage fee... I didn't realize it was against LCB regulations. Thu Apr 30 22:33:57 -0700 2009 4642849 99625 twinkienic 1 4643585 the other issue that i don't think has been addressed is how many bottles can you bring with you over the border? I do it frequently and my understanding is 1.5 liter per person...with out paying some pretty high duty. It's the same going back into the U.S. I would love to take some of the great B.C. whites I've enjoyed back home but again it's only one bottle per person. Thu Apr 30 15:49:47 -0700 2009 4642451 192637 balini 2 4643721 I found this PDF document for the 2010 Winter Olympics that summarizes the liquor laws in BC. http://www.eia.gov.bc.ca/lclb/publications/other/eng_van2010_op_games.pdf 1.5 litres of wine; or 1.14 litres of distilled spirits; or a total of 1.14 litres of wine and distilled spirits combined; or 8.5 litres of beer Also a section on Corkage (not allowed as noted above) Thu Apr 30 16:38:31 -0700 2009 4643585 162741 cancowboy 3 4648024 All I can say is that BC is in the "dark ages" when it comes to our liquor laws. It is a source of great frustration for many of us. Having said that, there are many restaurants here with good wine lists. You just have to be prepared to pay a lot more than you would in the U.S. Sat May 02 08:51:55 -0700 2009 4643721 99971 anewton 3 4667682 I think you can bring more in but if caught you have to pay duty on it. I think you just have to say the bottles are only worth a little and they won't charge much. Fri May 08 19:18:52 -0700 2009 4643721 68093 wasabica 4 4668403 I think if you 'get caught' you can get in a lot more trouble than having to pay duty. I remember an Okanagan politician a few years ago facing criminal charges for bringing back a large amount of alcohol from the U.S. without claiming it. The duty is tremendous at the border. It is generally cheaper to buy wine imported from the U.S. in Canada than it is to bring it over the border yourself. There was a story a few years back about a Canadian who went to Seattle for a weekend and brought back Yellow Tail (of all things) because it was only $6 a bottle in the U.S. compared to $13 a bottle in BC. After he paid duty on his precious Yellow Tail, he ended up spending approximately $15 a bottle CAN on the wine that cost only $6 in the U.S. Like I say, our alcohol laws are positively fierce, and are no friend to the Canadian oenophile (Alberta has much more reasonable prices than BC because their government does not tax liquor nearly as much as we do here). Sat May 09 07:46:13 -0700 2009 4667682 99971 anewton 5 4681595 I looked it up - it appears you legally can bring in 1.5L pp. So that is 4 bottles of wine or the 2 of us, which is really all I wanted to bring anyway. I guess we will enjoy it in our hotel room along with treasures from the Granville market. Sigh. Wed May 13 17:22:37 -0700 2009 4668403 68093 wasabica 6 4683990 If you're flying, I guess you'll have to pack in checked luggage, not carry-on? Thu May 14 12:24:42 -0700 2009 4681595 65891 waver 7 4690416 yes, i do this a lot - International travel requires wine shippers (in your luggage), you can't just wrap them in your clothes Sat May 16 18:44:10 -0700 2009 4683990 68093 wasabica 8 4691391 Ahhhh, that makes sense. I was faced with this dilemma for the first time recently. Couldn't carry-on and didn't want wine all over my clothes, so I left it behind : ( Sun May 17 09:38:27 -0700 2009 4690416 65891 waver 9 4691500 That's awful. I remember in Europe when the winemakers were gifting me beautiful bottles not available in the US I was panicking on how I would get them home. Finally, one of the wineries we went to found a foam shipper for me. It was scary for a while. I am crying for you... Sun May 17 10:23:37 -0700 2009 4691391 68093 wasabica