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Sharing Those Special Bottles

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Bill Spohn

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Bill Spohn » Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:52 pm

Jenise wrote:Been burned by that, too, Jon. Big difference between merely liking wine and being "into" wine, isn't there? I've wanted to just cry as I've watched people chug indiscriminately wines that were basically over their head and that they would not remember the names at the end of the night. For such occasions, I've learned to lower my risk but still ensure that I'll have something nice to drink by planning to share moderately priced wines with accessible flavors.


Don't you love the parties where everyone puts their bottle on a table and then you watch some jerk who brought some unmentionable dreck dump his bottle, never to look at it again, while pouring himself great amounts of everyone else's better wines?

I've played that one both ways. Back in university there was a couple of times where I brought a pretty decent wine (at least as far as my then budding taste was concerned) decanted into something like a domestic sweet sherry screwcap bottle. It was pretty safe to leave that one on the table without it being at risk by the boors in the crowd.

In my more devilish moods, I have also decanted some absolute dreck into a much more decent bottle, to watch the hogs going at it and then saying how good the crap was. Maybe this was the beginning of my preference for blind tastings!
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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Jenise » Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:17 pm

ChefJCarey wrote:Our spies are everywhere - and now they know where to look.


It's called Geek Luggage. Too nerdy for you to risk being seen within 30 feet of, even for a potential score. :wink:
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Jon Peterson

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Jon Peterson » Thu May 01, 2008 1:42 pm

Jenise wrote:For such occasions, I've learned to lower my risk but still ensure that I'll have something nice to drink by planning to share moderately priced wines with accessible flavors. Also, I carry them in a soft-sided six-pack zipper-closed wine case which I stash near the door where the shoes and purses go, and may go fish more or better wines out of if the evening warrants it or leave alone and take home with me if that's the better thing to do.


Great idea, Jenise. How can I not do the same?
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OW Holmes

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by OW Holmes » Thu May 01, 2008 2:00 pm

Bill Spohn wrote:
FWIW, I started thinking about this issue in connection with an event where the organiser seems to have a 'more is better' plan and keeps adding to the number of participants (and bottles). At a certain point, I realized that I had taken a certain number of my choices for wines off the mental table and restricted my choices to more modest wines to share with such a large crew. I even have one guy that comes to my lunches who calls me beforehand to ask how many people will be there so he can decide which tier of wine he wants to bring, and I completely sympathize with his feelings.

Also, FWIW, the other wines that will be tasted at the event aren't as big an incentive as you might think. I don't really care if I'd get to taste a whole whack of wonderful, rare, expensive, whatever wines, I still don't want to share one of my special ones with a large group. I didn't buy it 20 years ago to be able to drink an ounce of it a couple of decades later as part of a huge flight of other wines, I bought it to really enjoy with close friends.


It looks like almost everybody agrees with you Bill. And I probably would too if I had your cellar. I agree with you that I will pull my best bottles for those who truly appreciate good wine, but for me, the number of people present doesn't really matter. If I am willing to share a wine - and I am willing to share any wine I have - it doesn't matter to me whether 4 or 24 get a taste of it. In fact, if it turns out to be a really special bottle, I am happy to share it with as many wine friends as possible.
As I say, if I had a cellar like yours, and special bottles like you do, I may feel different about it, but my best are probably like the dumbed down wines you go to when the crowd is big. Nevertheless, I will bring my best bottles to MoCOOL, for example, and freely share them with as many who are around when the wine is opened.
-OW
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Jenise

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Jenise » Thu May 01, 2008 2:26 pm

Bill Spohn wrote:
David Cooper wrote:Bill and Jenise. I feel so strongly about this subject I joined this forum.


PS - you are long past due for joining here - it is a great place to hang out and we would welcome your contributions!


Let me second that nudge.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Rahsaan

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Rahsaan » Sat May 03, 2008 3:07 am

Mark Lipton wrote:Truly, after more than 8-10 wines, I'm just trying to keep my head above water, especially if I'm not taking notes. That, as much as anything else, limits the size of events I prefer.


Well, will see what we can do later this month :wink:
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Mark Lipton

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Mark Lipton » Sat May 03, 2008 11:13 pm

Rahsaan wrote:
Mark Lipton wrote:Truly, after more than 8-10 wines, I'm just trying to keep my head above water, especially if I'm not taking notes. That, as much as anything else, limits the size of events I prefer.


Well, will see what we can do later this month :wink:


Threaten away, Rahsaan. If you saw my Toledo notes, you'll see that I'm quite adept at the dog paddle, but it doesn't make for much relaxation...

Mark Lipton

p.s. I'm already looking for the gobbiest Zins in my cellar. I'll update you by email tomorrow after talking with my mother.
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Rahsaan

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Rahsaan » Sun May 04, 2008 3:12 am

Mark Lipton wrote:p.s. I'm already looking for the gobbiest Zins in my cellar..


Ouch.

I'm still trying to clear my palate from all that Sonoma wine earlier in the week.

And it may take a while..
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Sam Platt

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Sam Platt » Sun May 04, 2008 8:38 am

Bill Spohn wrote:Don't you love the parties where everyone puts their bottle on a table and then you watch some jerk who brought some unmentionable dreck dump his bottle, never to look at it again, while pouring himself great amounts of everyone else's better wines?

Bill,

On the limited number of occasions that I have attended get togethers with wine enthusiasts I have been terrified of being the "unmentionable dreck" jerk. I find that true wine geeks are generally quite generous. I am always amazed at the quality of the wines that are offered. I do think that groups larger than twelve would suffer from limited pour size from a given bottle.
Sam

"The biggest problem most people have is that they think they shouldn't have any." - Tony Robbins
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Dale Williams

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Re: Sharing Those Special Bottles

by Dale Williams » Sun May 04, 2008 10:56 am

Sam Platt wrote:
Bill Spohn wrote:Don't you love the parties where everyone puts their bottle on a table and then you watch some jerk who brought some unmentionable dreck dump his bottle, never to look at it again, while pouring himself great amounts of everyone else's better wines?

Bill,

On the limited number of occasions that I have attended get togethers with wine enthusiasts I have been terrified of being the "unmentionable dreck" jerk. I find that true wine geeks are generally quite generous. I am always amazed at the quality of the wines that are offered. I do think that groups larger than twelve would suffer from limited pour size from a given bottle.


Sam, my experience is that most wine geeks love trying new stuff, as well as sharing. I attend gatherings with groups where others have older and deeper cellars than I, as well as another group where I have 5-6X as much wine (and way more older stuff) than anyone else. I've never been made to feel my offering was substandard at the former, and seldom felt miffed at others at latter, The one exception was someone who seemed to consistently bring things like $7 mass market negociant Cotes du Rhones to a Rhone tasting (if I felt it was financial I wouldn't care, but as his house is worth well over $1M,,,,,). The lack of thought bothered me, not the money. Interesting is more important than value. I think most wine geeks would welcome trying anything you thought interesting.

At more general (non-wine geek) parties, I generally find the people who bring the "dreck" just don't care, and drink whatever is out and open. My strategy if hosting is generally to open some inexpensive bottles (personal QPR favorites) and some wine that people brought that I find less interesting (though I generally try everything) and put in front. I then open a couple of funner bottles (though nothing really expensive) as well as the more serious brought bottles, and place towards back of table. Those that care about wine will find. Those that just want "something red" will pour from nearest bottle.

Sometimes I decide to open a "serious bottle" at these events, I generally walk around making sure that the geeks get a taste, before adding to table. I wouldn't generally open a really treasured bottle, those are reserved for sit-down meals.
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