Grateful American patients give their doctor a gift of wine

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1216329 ... side_today

Best regards,
Alex R.

I liked that article. It's got me thinking about doing the same but I would first check to see if the doctor or dentist is a wine drinker and what kinds of wine they prefer.

What a great idea. Thanks for posting that, Alex. My entire family uses the same young doctor. He is an internist, and a former drug dealer (actually, a pharmacist), and has literally saved my daughter from conditions brought on by her former family physician. And, he approves of my appetite for red wine. But the thought had not occured to me to take him a bottle at my next visit - but now I will for sure.

[Robin Garr]

What a great idea. ... But the thought had not occured to me to take him a bottle at my next visit - but now I will for sure.

Dittoes here. My family doctor, who I really like and respect a lot, is himself a wine geek, with a substantial cellar and a tendency to take wine country vacations. He is a bit of a Spectator follower, but I've been working on him about that. It had never occurred to me, though, to gift him with wine, and now I'm feeling really bad that I hadn't thought of this without being prompted.

We chose wine for the team of doctors and Godiva for nurses except one surgeon who is also a choco freak and he received some Frans(?) chocolates.

Gift giving to gifted medical staff is such a good idea !!

The surgeon who performed a lung reduction and two lung transplants on my sister-in-law grew up in Lebanon. For his skill and the care he took of Ellen, we made a point of bringing him bottles of Ch. Musar whenever we traveled to Florida. When she gave him the first bottle, Ellen said that he had tears in his eyes he was so touched. The $20-30 we spent on those bottles paled beside the value he gave to Ellen's life, improving her health and extending her lifespan for a decade beyond what she otherwise would have had.

Mark Lipton

Mark,

That's a great story.

Sometimes is takes so little to say so much...

Alex

In an initial consultation with a surgeon last year, I mentioned I made wine and that it was too bad she wasn't allowed to accept gifts. Au contraire!, she replied, patients gave her gifts all the time (apparently Medicaid patients are quicker with the liquor, who knew?). So after the surgery I gave her a bottle of '05 Amador zinfandel. And at the last follow-up, she wanted to buy a case, which as the TTB lurkers here know I could not and did not sell her.

Every year we give our internist a bottle of Silver Oak and his nurse a good CA chard. It's obvious from the first time that they really appreciate the gesture.

[Jenise]

Why stop at doctors? What about the mechanic who could have charged you for a whole new transmission but fixed the little thing it turned out to be instead at 1/5th the price, or the veterinarian who answered the phone at 3 in the morning, or the jeweler who put resizing two rings for you at the top of his list so you could have them by your anniversary tomorrow? These people all appreciate a good bottle of wine, too. Believe me, wine flies out of my cellar on just such occasions.

Yeah, I've never given a doctor wine (or any gift). But I have given a Taurasi Riserva to a mechanic who loves Italian wine and did a good job saving my organization money, Champagne as a thank you to a dry cleaner who went above and beyond, a Super Tuscan to a music librarian who helped Betsy, etc.

Why stop at doctors? What about the mechanic who could have charged you for a whole new transmission but fixed the little thing it turned out to be instead at 1/5th the price, or the veterinarian who answered the phone at 3 in the morning, or the jeweler who put resizing two rings for you at the top of his list so you could have them by your anniversary tomorrow? These people all appreciate a good bottle of wine, too. Believe me, wine flies out of my cellar on just such occasions.

Why indeed, Jenise? Our list of gifts at Christmastime is quite long indeed: the clerical and professional staff at work who make our jobs possible, our mail carrier, the woman who cleans our house, the massage therapists who keep our backs in good working order, the staff at our son's day care center, etc. Not all (in fact, not even most) get wine, as that's not what they value, but all get gifts of some sort. The less they get paid for their valuable services, the more likely they are to get a gift.

Mark Lipton

We've been doing this for some time, from physician(s) to the guys at the warehouse who help load bottles on my truck. Nothin like spreading a little cheer, at any time of year.

[Robin Garr]

Why stop at doctors?

We always reward with a liquid gift at Christmas the UPS man who brings us wine by the boxload and often comments about how tasty it must be.

In Argentina, ITB folks like to say Doctors are the worst customers.... all they get as presents is wine wine and more wine....

Why stop at doctors? What about the mechanic who could have charged you for a whole new transmission but fixed the little thing it turned out to be instead at 1/5th the price, or the veterinarian who answered the phone at 3 in the morning, or the jeweler who put resizing two rings for you at the top of his list so you could have them by your anniversary tomorrow? These people all appreciate a good bottle of wine, too. Believe me, wine flies out of my cellar on just such occasions.

I personally thought the thread was just directed at doctors. We have a long list of people who receive wine from us for various reasons during a year.

[James Roscoe]

Why stop at doctors? What about the mechanic who could have charged you for a whole new transmission but fixed the little thing it turned out to be instead at 1/5th the price, or the veterinarian who answered the phone at 3 in the morning, or the jeweler who put resizing two rings for you at the top of his list so you could have them by your anniversary tomorrow? These people all appreciate a good bottle of wine, too. Believe me, wine flies out of my cellar on just such occasions.

Personally, I think everyone on this board should give a teacher a nice bottle of wine. If you don't know any teachers personally, let me give you my address..... (Sorry to hijack a serious thread and make a joke of it. Of course I was just following another's lead. )

Hi Ernie in Berkeley,
Your home made wines can make a great barter commodity.

Salute

True in principle, victorwine, but it would be a Bad Idea. Right, TTB lurkers?

[David M. Bueker]

Maybe it's where I live (very blue collar town), but if I try to give the mechanic/plumber/etc. wine one of two things will inevitably happen:

1. I gave it up (predictable reason)
2. I prefer Bud.

Giving wine to the doctor is an absolutely common thing over here. I told my ophtalmologist (who diagnosed a cataract on my right eye and who adores Blaufränkisch) that I would bring him a fine bottle the next time I see him (he will assist at the operation in September). He replied: "Not the next time, but only when everything went right", which I found very OK.

Thus said, my job brings it with me that postmen, parcel deliverers, mechanics e tutti quanti frequently receive a bottle of wine.