4 ms·

> Coming over for dinner? They bring a (bad) bottle of wine that I now have to get rid of. I'm not a drinker myself, but I always assumed that people brought w

by rcfox 11y ago

> Coming over for dinner? They bring a (bad) bottle of wine that I now have to get rid of. I'm not a drinker myself, but I always assumed that people brought wine to dinners with the intention of drinking them at that dinner. Shouldn't that take care of getting rid of it?

branchless 11y ago
Often it's bad because the people I know aren't rich. That's fine, I'd rather they just brought themselves. If it's bad why spoil dinner!
- CocaKoala 11y ago
  Expensive wine is not always good, cheap wine is not always bad. One of my favourite wines is a ten bucks a bottle; it's more expensive for me now because I need to order it by the case and ship it across the country to get it, but so it goes. If somebody brings a bottle of wine to dinner, unless you specifically planned the meal to go with a specific bottle of wine (or if they specifically say that this bottle is meant to be opened at a certain time or for a certain occasion), open the bottle they brought. Otherwise, you're sending one of two messages: 1) I'm certain that this wine you brought as a gift is so bad, I don't even want to bother drinking it. 2) I'm certain that this wine you brought as a gift is so good, I don't want to share it with you at all. Neither message is a good look. If it's bad wine, open it, share the bad experience, and joke about how horrible the wine is. You've all learned something. If it's good wine, open it, share the good experience, and marvel over how great the bottle is.
  - magic_beans 11y ago
    What is this $10 wine you speak of :)
    - CocaKoala 11y ago
      Damiani Dolce Bianco, a blended table white. It's an eminently drinkable white wine, pairs well with chicken, pasta, or dishes with a citrus element. Alternatively, it's light enough that you can simply drink it on its own over the course of an evening. Drink it chilled, and I highly recommend sharing with friends. You'll have a lot of trouble finding it for sale unless you happen to live in the upstate NY area; they're a small winery in the Finger Lakes region. I visited them once when I was living in that area, and discovered later that their table white could be bought at my local Century Wine and Liquor for ten bucks. At the time, I was living with some friends and none of us were making very much money (we were all immediately post-college), and that bottle of wine was the backdrop to basically all of our social gatherings and group dinners. A couple years later, when I moved out to California, I sent the winery an email letting them know how much I had enjoyed drinking their wine with my friends, and how sad I was that I was no longer in an area where they had distribution. In response, they offered to sell me a case for ten percent off, and covered shipping as a wedding present for my upcoming wedding. It's worth noting here that while I'm presenting this story as an example of how nice the winemakers are, it should be stressed that they are not unusual in this regard! If you live in an area that has vineyards and wineries, you should go visit and do tastings! You can probably find cheap wines that you like, you can build relationships with the people who make the wines, and you will enjoy the wine even more for it. It's boatloads of fun to bring a bottle of wine to dinner with friends and say "Now, I know the folks who make this, they're especially proud of this bottle. Let me know what you think!"
  - mesozoic 11y ago
    This is true one of my favorite wines is 5 bucks a bottle.
  - branchless 11y ago
    This simply isn't common practice in many parts of the world. The article was on wasting stuff and I don't want to waste more time on etiquette on hacker-news.
- collyw 11y ago
  Use it for cooking if its too bad to drink. Or as the Spanish teenagers do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo
  - branchless 11y ago
    Cooking, yes agreed. Mix it with coke - from bad to worse!
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
hyperpape 11y ago
It can go either way. The host may or may not open--it's meant as a gift. For people who are really in to wine, they will have already chosen bottles that are paired with the food.
- branchless 11y ago
  Exactly, I guess this guy doesn't get out much. It's not expected that you open it there and then. In fact on gifting wine I usually insist they save it and enjoy it later (assuming I've bought a good one). It's not for me.

by rcfox 11y ago

branchless 11y ago

Often it's bad because the people I know aren't rich. That's fine, I'd rather they just brought themselves. If it's bad why spoil dinner!

CocaKoala 11y ago
Expensive wine is not always good, cheap wine is not always bad. One of my favourite wines is a ten bucks a bottle; it's more expensive for me now because I need to order it by the case and ship it across the country to get it, but so it goes. If somebody brings a bottle of wine to dinner, unless you specifically planned the meal to go with a specific bottle of wine (or if they specifically say that this bottle is meant to be opened at a certain time or for a certain occasion), open the bottle they brought. Otherwise, you're sending one of two messages: 1) I'm certain that this wine you brought as a gift is so bad, I don't even want to bother drinking it. 2) I'm certain that this wine you brought as a gift is so good, I don't want to share it with you at all. Neither message is a good look. If it's bad wine, open it, share the bad experience, and joke about how horrible the wine is. You've all learned something. If it's good wine, open it, share the good experience, and marvel over how great the bottle is.
- magic_beans 11y ago
  What is this $10 wine you speak of :)
  - CocaKoala 11y ago
    Damiani Dolce Bianco, a blended table white. It's an eminently drinkable white wine, pairs well with chicken, pasta, or dishes with a citrus element. Alternatively, it's light enough that you can simply drink it on its own over the course of an evening. Drink it chilled, and I highly recommend sharing with friends. You'll have a lot of trouble finding it for sale unless you happen to live in the upstate NY area; they're a small winery in the Finger Lakes region. I visited them once when I was living in that area, and discovered later that their table white could be bought at my local Century Wine and Liquor for ten bucks. At the time, I was living with some friends and none of us were making very much money (we were all immediately post-college), and that bottle of wine was the backdrop to basically all of our social gatherings and group dinners. A couple years later, when I moved out to California, I sent the winery an email letting them know how much I had enjoyed drinking their wine with my friends, and how sad I was that I was no longer in an area where they had distribution. In response, they offered to sell me a case for ten percent off, and covered shipping as a wedding present for my upcoming wedding. It's worth noting here that while I'm presenting this story as an example of how nice the winemakers are, it should be stressed that they are not unusual in this regard! If you live in an area that has vineyards and wineries, you should go visit and do tastings! You can probably find cheap wines that you like, you can build relationships with the people who make the wines, and you will enjoy the wine even more for it. It's boatloads of fun to bring a bottle of wine to dinner with friends and say "Now, I know the folks who make this, they're especially proud of this bottle. Let me know what you think!"
- mesozoic 11y ago
  This is true one of my favorite wines is 5 bucks a bottle.
- branchless 11y ago
  This simply isn't common practice in many parts of the world. The article was on wasting stuff and I don't want to waste more time on etiquette on hacker-news.
collyw 11y ago
Use it for cooking if its too bad to drink. Or as the Spanish teenagers do: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo
- branchless 11y ago
  Cooking, yes agreed. Mix it with coke - from bad to worse!
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

hyperpape 11y ago

It can go either way. The host may or may not open--it's meant as a gift. For people who are really in to wine, they will have already chosen bottles that are paired with the food.

branchless 11y ago
Exactly, I guess this guy doesn't get out much. It's not expected that you open it there and then. In fact on gifting wine I usually insist they save it and enjoy it later (assuming I've bought a good one). It's not for me.