Are you the wine "Phone a Friend"

So every so often Betsy (or occasionally a friend) will call or text from a restaurant looking for wine list advice. In the old days they would read off list, now I usually get a picture (or occasionally a video from a wine store). I find it fun (and a little bit flattering) but also a bit fraught. I mean, if Betsy (and her friends) don't like the choice it's my fault. But I still like doing it.
The worst is when the list is a dreadful assemblage of the worst mass market brands (Meomi, Cupcake, etc) - no wait, the worst is when it's a bunch of wines you ( and no one else) has ever heard of, because they're negoce restaurant-only brands (so folks don't know that they are paying $15/glass for a wine the restaurant paid $8.50 for).
So I was actually pretty happy when Betsy and a friend texted looking for advice from a place in Marin while I was still in NY. They wanted a half bottle, the white list included Gini Soave, a Selbach Oster halbtrocken, Brocard Chablis, and a Menetou-Salon from a producer I didn;t know. The reds had a Dashe zin, Paulo Conterno nebbiolo, DEI Vino Nobile etc. Based on food they settled on the Chablis and were happy.
Anyway, I'm curious is this limited to me, or do you occasionally find yourself as a remote wine consultant, with no time to research?

[David M. Bueker]

Always. My work colleagues still email me. I was only half joking when I would say that the two weeks before Thanksgiving were when my real job was telling people what wines to buy for the big dinner.

Yup, happens with some regularity. Either it's Jean while out at a restaurant while traveling or one of our friends. Usually, the wine lists are interesting enough that there's some vicarious pleasure in choosing the wines. Occasionally, though, the prices are so off-putting that I feel a "professional" responsibility to find a reasonably priced, decent wine on the list.

Sometimes I'll get a photo of options from inside a wine store.

[David M. Bueker]

Sometimes I'll get a photo of options from inside a wine store.

Better than from inside the grocery store!

ha!

[Jenise]

Yup.

Nope - all my friends are either just as up on wine questions as I am or don't know that I am into wine at all.

[Jenise]

Nope - all my friends are either just as up on wine questions as I am or don't know that I am into wine at all.

How could anyone know you and not know you are into wine!

Yes. I get texts and snapshots - "What should I get?"

Nope - all my friends are either just as up on wine questions as I am or don't know that I am into wine at all.

How could anyone know you and not know you are into wine!

I have separate spheres of interest. My car friends only know about my car stuff, my audio friends about my audio systems, the people I correspond with about history know nothing about my other interests, and my gardening friends are unaware of my other hobbies and interests etc. The only naturally overlapping areas of interest are wine and food.