August 20, 2003
Bringing Wine for DinnerSome commonsense thoughts about bringing wine to someone's house! Last week, friend and customer Chuck Haines who works at the UC Santa Barbara Housing Office bought a bottle of Hank's Fault Line Red from me. He told me he was replenishing the bottle. He had been invited to a friend's for dinner. He brought a bottle of Hank's. Apparently, the host squirreled the bottle away and it wasn't served at the meal!
This is bad form! If a guest brings a bottle, the host should always offer to open it and serve it. Perhaps there's one exception to this rule-if the guest says "here's a gift; save for another time-not tonight."
I think with many consumable gifts, the giver doesn't expect it to be consumed at the moment. A good example, of course, would be a basket of fruit or a box of chocolates.
When you take a gift of wine, I think most people expect, or at least hope, the bottle will be opened and served. When the situation happens like what happened to Chuck, and the bottle ends up in the wine rack or the cellar what can you do? Nothing! It's too late.
Don't make assumptions. Make your intention known beforehand. That way you can avoid potentially awkward situations.
Eleven years ago I addressed "giving and receiving" wine in a Mosby Winery Newsletter. Here's what I wrote for the Newsletter then. The four rules still make sense now.
Rule One: When you don't know your host well, you might say something like, "May I contribute a bottle of wine for dinner?" or (knowing the menu), "I've been saving a very special bottle of '84 pinot noir. I'd like to bring it. It should go great with your rack of lamb."
Make your intentions known. The point is to communicate your intent. Don't make assumptions!
Rule Two: If you decide to bring a bottle "blind", as a gift, then simply bring it in the sheer spirit of giving, where it doesn't matter if they open it or not. This way you won't be disappointed.
Or bring two bottles-"one for drinking tonight, the other for you to enjoy sometimes in the future."
Rule Three: Never be a wine bore, whether you are giving or receiving! If your host doesn't share your passion for wine, talk about the weather, or your kids. Or their kids. In most social gatherings, wine is meant to be enjoyed, not scrutinized or analyzed.
Rule Four: Don't take bottles of wine to impress. People who are not wine buffs won't know the difference anyway. Give wine that you yourself enjoy, or bring a bottle of wine you think would be appropriate with the meal, if you know the menu beforehand.
An afterthought on last week's column: Got some nice feedback about the piece on Sanford's vin gris. But vin gris is pronounced VAN GREE, not like it is spelled.
Trying never to be a wine bore, Times wine columnist, Bob Senn lives in the bucolic Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
