Lt. Governor Dewhurst: Bring Your Own Bottle to Restaurants?

I didn’t know that David Dewhurst had such a passion for fine wine. Good for him. But it appears that our Lt. Governor wants the Texas legislature to help him indulge that passion by passing a bill that would allow him and anyone else to bring any bottle they choose to any Texas restaurant. And that is wrong on just about every level.

David Dewhurst

High end restaurants in the Austin area make the majority of their net proceeds from the sales of wine and spirits. Customers understand this and accept it as a necessary part of the equation (provided the markup is reasonable and consistent with local standards). If a bill were actually passed allowing customers to bring in what ever bottle of vino they chose, it would cause complete chaos. Sure, I bet Mr. Dewhurst wouldn’t mind bringing that bottle of ’81 DRC he may have in his cellar in to Jeffrey’s. But unless the restaurant charged about a 20% corking fee (or about $1200) for this wine, I just don’t see how it works for them. And is Mr. Dewhurst going to tip on the bottle(s) brought in? There’s another thorny issue.

Other losers in this equation would be distributors like Glazier’s and Block, servers, and ironically, people who really enjoy a great bottle of wine while they dine out. Many who order a $50+ bottle of wine need the advice of a sommelier or a good wine steward. If Dewhurst got his way, those jobs would disappear. And so, gradually would all of our favorite fine dining restaurants.

With all the problems we have confronting Texas, starting with a Governor who has been throwing the “s” word around with impunity, why do we need the Lt. Governor to bring up this absolutely boorish idea for legislation? Is it worth the long-term damage that it will inevitably cause for DD to be able to pull out a ”74 Chateau Palmer from his cellar and hand it over to the waiter at Eddie V’s for decanting?

My suggestion is that we pass the bill but exempt everyone but Lt. Governor from it. And we should establish a minimum corkage fee for him of $250 of 50% the retail value of whatever bottle he brings in. Then we can move on to more important issues like the border, our schools, and what will happen to Carraba’s Grill if we really secede from the union.