Corkage: A collector's code of conduct

Is there a more divisive word in the restaurant world than ‘corkage’? Few topics draw a sharper line between diners and restaurants. The conversation is often framed as us versus them: restaurants feel shortchanged when guests bring their own bottles; consumers believe they offer low-overhead revenue for minimal service.
But it is worth asking why collectors bring bottles at all. Often it is about taste – mature vintages from a home cellar, bottles with personal meaning, or win