'Bottle Keep' Means No More Wine by the Glass

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed)
Oct 21st 2008 at 11:01AM

How many times have you passed on a glass of wine because the kind you wanted was only sold by the bottle? The Japanese have a good thing going called "bottle keep" that takes care of that problem by allowing customers to drink what they want out of a bottle of wine and save the rest for later. The restaurant puts the customers name on the bottle and keeps it in the back until their next visit.

What an awesome way to make the most of a bottle of wine (not to mention impressing friends and family with the VIP treatment!). Obviously this idea isn't reserved only for the Japanese so now I'm be on the hunt for a restaurant that offers this service (or something like it) in my area.

Tags: bottle, bottle keep, BottleKeep, bottles, dining, japan, japanese, restaurant, restaurants, tradition

Filed under: Dining, Services

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

just me Oct 21st 2008 11:26AM

Okay wait, the Japanese are probably 'bottle keeping' bottles of sake, not wine. Wine from grapes change after being opened and become flat after as little as one day, some will keep longer but not "until your next visit", even with vacuum pump sealing. Sake on the other hand can be stored opened for longer periods of time, like a cognac or liquor.

just me Oct 21st 2008 11:32AM

Okay, wait, I think I'm wrong about sake--it shouldn't really be stored for long periods of time, as it too oxidizes. So, I don't know what they're doing here.

Kate Oct 21st 2008 12:57PM

That is sake, not wine.

The distinction is important. Sake has a higher alcohol content and, of course, is made entirely differently than wine. Once opened, sake will stay drinkable for a week, maybe 10 days, and although will loose some of its flavor, it won't turn bitter or vinegary. Wine, no matter how carefully preserved, is going to taste off in a couple of days, tops.

So, in short, why would you want to leave a bottle of wine to oxidize at a restaurant for a couple of weeks before finishing it? You wouldn't, if you had any sense.

Kevin Kadow Oct 21st 2008 7:02PM

Many of the American Korean restaurants with BYOB have a similar storage service, except the shelves are full of bottles of Jack Daniels and Knob Creek.

PaulR Oct 24th 2008 8:26AM

I think it has been pointed out enough times above why this idea is absurd for wine. Regarding sake, like just me said, it does oxidize with time, but nowhere near the speed of wine. A bottle of sake can be stored open, in a fridge, for a week without any significant or noticable change in taste. Another thing to consider is that the palces that do offer this service offer it to regular custumers, who pop in several times a week, so a regular sized bottle wont have to be stored long at all.
The sushi place I go to in London does this for me: I usually buy the 1.5 liter bottle and have it stored which lasts me about a week, sometimes less depending on the company I share it with.
Anyway a vast majority of restaurants and bars that I go to will do the same for me with spirits that will actually keep, like wodka, whisky etc. I recently wne to a mayfair bar I havent been to in sevral months and they still had my half bottle of wodka waiting for me, which was a pleasant suprise indeed.