Sac de Chien?

With its smoke-stained walls, paper tablecloths and grandmotherly cooking, Chez Paul doesn’t take kindly to change.

But the French government’s crackdown on unsafe driving has had a sobering effect on wine consumption at this century-old, street-corner bistro just off the Bastille, as it has at restaurants and bars throughout France.

So Daniel Karrenbauer, the owner, joined what might be called the guerrilla war of the grape. Last month, he introduced doggie bags for wine.

On the bistro’s zinc bar, there are all-purpose corks and glossy white shopping bags with wine-colored ribbon handles provided gratis by the Wine Council of Bordeaux to 500 restaurants across the country. Promotional fliers encourage customers to “prolong your pleasure at home.” Mr. Karrenbauer hopes to ease the message onto the handwritten menus. “We have to keep our old habits, to preserve who we are,” he said as he uncorked a favorite Pomerol. “But when customers hesitate before ordering a great bottle of wine or that second bottle, we argue that there is an option — to take it home.” [NYTimes]