We do a fair amount of entertaining, where we have friends over and open various bottles of wine. We just had three other couples over last night and opened several bottles, starting with sparkling and working our ways through some PN, Zin, Syrah, and various others. The consumption was moderate, meaning we all enjoyed ourselves, but there was no craziness going on in terms of over-the-top drinking.
When I woke up this morning, I started taking the wines out of inventory on CT and it occurred to me that, with the exception of the first bottle, I didn’t really remember much of the ones which followed.
The wine was an afterthought and not the focus of the evening
There were assorted foods, from dip to pizza for the kids, which somewhat muddled what I remember of the wines
The tastes, especially when we were into the reds, all started to run together after awhile, so no distinctive notes, etc., I could capture the following day
It got me to thinking about how I like to enjoy wine, which is mostly over a single bottle, with my wife, either by itself or paired with a meal, where we’re able to focus more on the experience the wine delivers. It also made me realize that I could have poured much simpler (and less expensive) wines last night and we all would have had just as much fun.
Am I alone in feeling this way? I read so many stories of gatherings, endless tasting notes, and what great fun everyone is having. Maybe I’m just doing this all wrong?
I’m just the opposite. I’d rather have 6 small pours from different wines at the party, than split a single bottle. We entertain medium suzed groups frequently and I love how it’s an excuse to pull corks.
Three couples plus you two makes eight. That’s a large group?
I have to re-calibrate. Seems like a most excellent way to enjoy some wine.
I’m with Chris. It’s nice to have a bottle with your wife. But don’t get too precious about. Or overly concerned with the experience the wine delivers? Wine isn’t different from anything else - I want to enjoy the experience whether it’s cheese, coffee, tea, ham, oranges, or a croissant from the French pastry shop a few blocks away. Had a wonderful Parmesan last night that was floral and fruity and I didn’t scarf it down but savored it. Could have done that with twenty people or alone. Same with wine. For me, eight people is ideal.
My preference is to drink nice wines in large groups, and nice wines in small groups. Why drink anything but nice wines?
Seriously though, the main change I make is that if I only have a single bottle of something, I’ll usually reserve it for a group of 2-4 so that it gets more time. If I have 6-12 bottles of something, even something very nice, I’m much more likely to open it for any group.
Hi Scott
Yes I’m in agreement, and very specifically on two points:
Sometimes the wine is not the focus. Friends and family are the event and the wine and even the food are secondary. As long as they play their supporting part well, they’ve done a good job. This is where sometimes the perfect wine is a good solid all-rounder that everyone can happily sip on whilst enjoying the company.
Even at wine events / offlines, I’ll lose focus fairly quickly, and especially when the wines are similar. I’ve grown to dislike Piemonte tastings which are almost solely Barolo / Barbaresco, and where multiple glasses are poured to compare and contrast. In between conversation I easily lose track of what is in the glass, and what might have been a geekily enjoyable comparison is wasted. I could of course be rude and not engage in conversation, but I’d not be comfortable doing so. It works better for me where the wines are quite different, and I’m very much converted to the idea of a ‘no theme - bring something interesting’ offline. The last Piemonte tasting I went to was good though, as it barred Barolo & Barbaresco so we had a wide range of grapes and styles, and I loved it.
Big bottles. When wine is not going to be the focus, but we still want to drink nice wines, it is the perfect time to bring out the magnums and 3L bottles. It is the only reason why I cellar them.
For wines that deserve contemplation, I definitely like a smaller group and fewer wines. I feel that I learn a lot more about the wine that way.
That doesn’t mean I want plonk for other occasions. When the focus is not on the wine, I still want good wine, but I don’t want truly special wines, and I have a preference for wines I’m familiar with.
If I had the reaction you had after an event like that, it would be because I was disappointed that I opened several expensive or my-only-bottle wines and none of them stood out. Especially if they are all in the rich ripe oaky style and all from California, the ripeness and oak all get monotonous. Regardless of grape variety. Critics are helpful but when a rich ripe oaky wine gets a 95 I might love it and I might gag on it, the latter especially if it’s less than eight years old. I’m not saying that’s your experience, but I would have the exact same ennui you had exclusively under those conditions. (Frankly I suspect that if you listed your wines I might see them in that mold for my palate.TN’S?) . Substitute several lighter, less oaky, more acidic, well aged, wines mostly from outside California or at least outside the hotter valleys, with distinctive character, good or iffy, and I’m guaranteed to enjoy silently comparing the wines and to enjoy sharing them. Pouring several very young wines of the same heavy character guarantees ennui for me unless we are there just to compare and analyze and I have not done that with Napa wines in many years. In the 1990s they were slightly less ripe and slightly more honestly made and it was better to drink nothing but California mainstream wines than it is today for my palate. When I try those older wines now it confirms this. I’ve tried recent 100 point wines where I’m not sure they will age at all.
This whole post of mine is similar in sentiment to the above Piedmont post, which illustrated that all one grape if they are all too young is enervating unless it’s an academic session. For me, all heavy style across varieties is enervating.
However… if it’s a REALLY special wine, I now keep the bottle near me without any shame and I control the rationing. Its caused me no embarrassment if I only do it with one of the wines I brought. I brought a very ready 2007 Rousseau Mazy ( for me a big deal…$170 then, $320 now, therefore irreplaceable, my only bottle and 2007-type ultra delicious) to a family gathering and it was empty in minutes. My guess is four of the ten people had some. Never again.
For that one very special bottle, assuming I have brought several good bottles so that I’m only perceived as a partial dickhead at worst, pouring myself a big glass knowing that is all I will get, works for my selfish purposes, but it doesn’t prevent several other people from getting shut out.
Therefore…such wines I might wait until later in the evening and give everyone a pour myself. In fact, if it’s something like Yquem or old Port the above procedure is almost mandatory. I walk around and ask people if they want some. If they have wine in their glass it’s their onus to solve that, by chugging, by getting another glass, or by saying pass.
Me too. Love it. Except six small pours is not enough wine LOL if I’m not driving.
If it’s Craig Gleason’s wine, I love taking a large pour, sipping it, dumping the rest, then pouring more later. It pleases him when people get fascinated by fluid dynamics.
Ditto, and since in this transitional stage of life I don’t have people over, I haven’t opened one in a while except for when I am visiting relatives. Meanwhile they are aging just fine, another benefit of larger bottles. Huge drinking window.
shrug. Depends on the group. If it’s a group of 8 wine friends they’ll all appreciate it. If it’s a group of 8 of my non wine friends, wine is an afterthought and I don’t think too much about what i’m opening.
With groups of about 20, a wine-focused tasting can be quite enjoyable. We have “Mini-Tastings” of this number with some whites as appetizers, then on to 6 flights of 2, all bagged and discussed. Since the focus is wine, with good food as a compliment, it is always a treat.
If you have regrets, pour simpler wines next time.
On the flip side, I love having evenings where we drink really well, but where wine is not the focus, just the (tasty) fuel. Nothing else needs to be said besides “this is good ****”…
Depends who’s in the group, the format, dynamic, etc. If it’s a mix of geeks and non-geeks and you have two or more bottles open at once, especially if they’re different types/styles, not everyone is going to want to try every wine, or they might takes a taste-sized pour to see if they want more.
I like to read the crowd and progressively open bottles as it seems appropriate. They don’t have to be special wines, just good, fun wines. Having some special bottles on hand is probably a good thing. Some people want a comfortable, familiar wine, some enjoy trying something new/different. Some people just won’t understand or appreciate that special/pricey/mature wine. Some will be thrilled to try a mature wine for the first time, but beyond being good and solid might be lost on them. The whole point is to share and have fun.
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