Not really funny, more like the show “The Slap” if you’ve seen it:
Had a big party/tasting at my house for my wife’s 30th birthday, rented a tent for the backyard, brought in catered BBQ, the whole shebang. The attendees were a mixture of family and two distinctly different groups of “wine people” my wife and I hang out with, that had never met before (I knew this situation can always be a little iffy the first time). Everybody brought bottles, ranging from a couple 84’s (Ridge York Creek Petit Sirah and Montelena Estate), an early 2000’s Dominus, and an 05’ TIG.
At some point in the evening, a couple from group A went to the tasting table with a few friends, opened the bottle of Tig (brought by someone in group B) and poured it around for the four of them. Before he could set it back on the table, a member of group B (not the one who brought the bottle) took the bottle directly from his hands, without saying anything, and took it over to the table where group B (and the person who brought the bottle) was sitting.
The couple from group A who had opened the bottle came up to me and told me they were leaving, basically throwing a silent fit about what had gone down and how they “try to avoid that kind of behavior in the wine world.”
I confronted the guy who had grabbed the bottle, who gave me a disingenuous apology when I called it a boneheaded move; but I was actually madder at the people who got pissed and stormed out of the party. They later said it wasn’t their proudest moment, but it will be next to impossible to get them at another event together, which is a shame as they are both super knowledgeable and passionate about wine. They really threw a tantrum about it and put a big stain on the whole event. The guy who brought the bottle could care less, “It just a Tignanello, who cares? It isn’t like I brought a Masseto.” The bottle grabber is one of the more novice of the group, and felt the need to defend such a rare and sought after wine as that.
I can definitely see how there are different ways to view this, but in group A, if the bottle is on the table it is meant to be opened. In group B, many in the group feel the same way, but there are a few who refuse to open a bottle without explicit instruction from the bringer. This was a casual party with 35 bottle of wine on a table, half open, half yet to be opened.