BYOW

Bring Your Own WineBring Your Own Wine or BYOW for short is a program officially sanctioned by the LCBO under which you are allowed to bring your own wine to a restaurant provided that it has signed onto the program. Check BYOW to find participating restaurants in Toronto however note that this process isn’t free. You will be charged a corkage fee, which could be as much as $60, so it would be advisable to quantify it beforehand.

 

Personally, I have never thought that this program was a particularly good idea. It is hard to make money as a restaurateur, and the money they make from selling wine may be critical in keeping the business afloat. To my mind, a major part of the restaurant experience is to see what dishes are available and what sort of a wine list they have.  If you enjoy wine, you will want to pay some attention to food and wine pairing which means that under a BYOW approach, you will have to figure out what you are eating beforehand in order to select the right wine.  However, pre-planning the food and wine eliminates the spontaneity of the experience and hence is likely to adversely affect your enjoyment.