Maryland Wine Lovers: Legalize Corkage!

Wine lovers want to enjoy own bottles

Legalize it, and we will patronize it.

That's the call from some wine advocates who hope to make Frederick County the first in Maryland to allow restaurant patrons to bring their own bottles.

Adam Borden of Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws said Tuesday the group has drafted a bill that would allow restaurants in Frederick County to implement a so-called "corkage" policy.

Borden said the proposal was instigated by celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio, who wants wine lovers to be able to enjoy bottles from their own collection at his Frederick restaurant, Volt.

Borden said Republican Delegate Paul Stull asked the group to draft the bill for possible introduction by the county's delegation in the upcoming General Assembly session.

According to the Frederick News-Post, the restaurants would charge a corkage fee in order to serve the wine. Hey, they have to make some cash on the deal if you're not buying their wine, right?

Meanwhile, another wine bill could be headed to Maryland that would allow wine consumers to have bottles shipped to their homes from wineries elsewhere, like the delicious vineyards of Napa and Sonoma. You can do that in D.C. and Virginia, but not in Maryland. Groups like Borden's want to change that.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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