Uncovering Boston BYOB and Wine Berserkers

Late edit and FYI:  Disappointingly, Mark Squires unfriended me on Facebook minutes after publishing this post here and sharing the link on Facebook.  To Mark Squires:  Sorry if you were offended by anything I have mentioned here, it was not my intention.  Please refriend me on Facebook, I enjoy the information you share there.

Open to accusations of either short sightedness or rightfully interpreting diminishing value, I have not spent much time on the erobertparker.com hosted “Mark Squires’ Bulletin Board” despite being a continuing original subscriber to Parker’s broader online platform.  I checked in occasionally, but could never get too motivated to jump into this pool of humanity, declarations by know-it-alls, expressions of personal agenda, and over managed and often censored opinions and participation by its ultimate moderator, Mark Squires.  In another unrelated piece of abstinence (whose connection will become clear shortly),  I turned my  head in lost hope of developing any kind of Boston BYOB restaurant regimen.  Breaking into the wine world living in New York City and then moving up to Boston offered me freedom thresholds not too dissimilar from those afforded newly incarcerated guests on Rikers Island.  Just possibly, Wine Berserkers will save the day.

In a subscriber communication from the Wine Adovcate a couple months back, I learned that the Mark Squires’ Bulletin Board was now going to exclusively restrict participation to online and offline paid Wine Advocate subscribers.  For me it was more a media event than a personal inconvenience, and I pondered why this once venerable yet recently questionable marketplace of expert wine knowledge was disrupting the very formula of open participation that allowed for its establishment as a place for wine thought leaders to congregate.  But those were the early days, and I just presumed it was the final step to making the community a linked activity, in more ways than one, to the business of the Wine Advocate.  My curious nature lead me to a pointed Vinography post and then one other point of view by wine broker Vinotas Selections with a sensibility that personally resonated.  Here is an excerpt from that post entitled “The End of an Era”:

Like many others, I cut my teeth [at Mark Squires' Bulletin Board] when I first came into wine. The people there helped me fall in love with the grape, they shared a ton of information (from folks whose depth of knowledge still scares me), and became some of the most amazing friends I’ve ever had. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but what is? It was the best, most knowledgeable place to talk and learn about wine on the Internet. The amount of information about wine, winemaking, and wine storing there was incomparable. It truly was a vast, free resource for anyone interested in learning about wine.

But, as with all things, to this there came a time. Slowly, as the site grew in popularity and personalities (not all of whom were angels, it’s true), the moderators began to tighten their fists, squashing dissent and any criticism of Robert Parker or of their heavy-handed ways. To paraphrase Princess Leia, the more you tighten your fist, the more winegeeks will slip between your fingers. And thus it came to pass. Eventually, a few split off after being run roughshod over and started up Wine Berserkers.

In a general departure from most new world, self publishing, online wine content creators,  I respectfully honor Robert Parker as an accomplished and hard working self made wine world icon that has driven global markets and created influence that wine 2.0 critics can only dream about experiencing.  It is an accomplishment of the highest order.   I cling to admiration and respect for the steadiness of his work and authority throughout the maelstrom of virally induced tornadoes of destruction aimed at his reputation.  But, even the most accomplished and popular icons have an unpopular practice or two that is inconsistent with their level of accomplishment.  Mark Squires’ Bulletin Board is one of those for me, and I have trouble understanding the value in gradually eviscerating the “open” DNA of the bulletin board and now only restricting its participants to paid subscribers.   I can only interpret it as a business/brand protection strategy, and by association fueling the diminution of Parker’s contribution to broader wine appreciation.

So I am going to give Wine Berserkers a try, and a first step was to investigate the board’s insider knowledge on what is essentially (as pointed out in this string at Wine Berserkers) an illegal BYOB Massachusetts restaurant trail, besides the Islands and the few Chinatown or widely scattered eating  establishments operating without liquor licenses.   I found a good list here that appears (sadly) comprehensive but most definitely (sadly again) broader than my shorter personal list:

~Cafe Mangal – Wellesley, MA
Turkish-American cuisine
$0 Corkage, functional stemware on site, bring glasses

~Yama – Wellesley, MA
Japanese cuisine (great sushi)
$0 corkage, barely functional stemware on site, bring glasses

~Jimmy’s Cafe – Wellesley, MA
no label for cuisine
$0 corkage, barely functional stemware on site, bring glasses

~New King Fung Garden – Boston, MA
Chinese cuisine
$0 corkage, definitely bring glasses
(fyi: it is technically illegal to operate a BYO in Boston)

~Kitchen On The Common – Belmont, Ma
no label for cuisine
$0 corkage, byo stems or they provide stemless glasses

~Filho’s Cuccina – Groton, MA
Italian cuisine
$0 corkage, bring glassware

~Gilson’s Herb Lycium
unknown cuisine
$0 corkage, bring glassware

~Sweet Basil – Needham, MA
no label for cuisine
$5 corkage per bottle, functional stemware on site, bring glasses
They don’t take reservations, can get very busy and is cash only.

~Dok Bua – Harvard St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline
Thai cuisine
$0 Corkage, tumblers on-site, bring glasses

West On Centre – Centre St, West Roxbury
Bistro cuisine
$0 Corkage (Tuesday nights only), glassware on site

~Il Casale – Belmont
Italian cuisine
$25 corkage, functional glassware on site. Corkage negotiable in advance for large party.

~Petit Robert – Both Comm Ave (Kenmore) and Columbus Ave (South End)
French Bistro
$25 corkage, functional glassware on site. Corkage negotiable in advance for large party.
(fyi: it is technically illegal to operate a BYO in Boston)

The forum’s index page appears strong with good participation levels.  Here is a quick snapshot:

At the beginning of what might be a new dawn for Massachusetts winos and online knowledge seekers, things look a tiny bit brighter.  And, it is now just possible enough that we might run into each other at either Wine Berserkers or any one of these newly identified spots on the Boston BYOB trail.