Recorking the Bottle

[Innkeeper]

Rather than taking another thread in the wrong direction, thought we'd start a new one. Recently two couples of us had dinner at Difebo's Restaurant, in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Near the end of the meal we ran out of wine, and we were discussing whether or not to order another bottle. The waiter overheard us and told us not worry, if we didn't finish it, he would recork it, and we could take it home! Well that's what we did, finishing the bottle on the condo balconcy the following noon.

I'm pretty sure, I've consumed alcoholic beverages in public places in all 50 States, and have never run across that one before. Is it really legal in Delaware, and is it anywhere else?

[hotwine]

A waiter at a San Antonio restaurant offered to do that for us not long ago. I guess we were lingering over our dinner a bit too long to suit him. We declined, and finished it at our leisure.
I think we would probably have run afoul of the Texas "open container" law if we had tried to take it home with us. That law states in effect that possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle constitutes evidence of DWI; and the container is considered "open" if its seal is broken.
I think our waiter was really trying to push us out the door to make our table available for other customers. Maybe your waiter was just trying to sell you another high-margin bottle of wine. In both cases, the motives of the waitstaff are questionable; I really don't think they were trying to do us a favor.

[mrdutton]

As far as I can remember, being a native Delawarean (whose displaced to Virginia), it is legal. I think also in Maryland.

It is legal in Virginia, but only for wine. Otherwise the open container law applies for beer and liquor.

There are reasonable exceptions. If I have an un-sealed bottle or two in my travel case and the travel case is located in the trunk, then that is okay.

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 10-09-2000).]

[Bucko]

Who has anything left to cork?! Are we a bunch of sissies around here?!? [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

Bucko