(Gasp) Pretentious Wine Behavior You Have Observed

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

At a friend’s house locally about a year ago, a new guy got invited to a casual (non-themed) wine dinner. This guy walks in with two bottles in a leather carrier. He saw all the wines on the table, fired up his iPhone and looked up all the Parker scores to see which bottle of his to put on the table that would be appropriate. Also bragged about his four Panerai watches and the Bentley he was going to buy cuz it was a guaranteed panty dropper with the ladies.

[David_Cohen]

Me! On my honeymoon cruise- it was a day at sea so the cruise ship had a lot of on board activities (watermelon sculpting class, dance class, talent show, wine tasting ,etc

The wines being poured were not much to write home about aside from the 96 opus (last wine of the tasting). After smelling and tasting it in my most subtle of New Freakin York accents I exclaim loudly apprently "This is either a shi$$ty 96 opus or most likey 97 opus being snucj in as a 96.
Well unknown to me the wine director was about 100 feet away but heard me clear as day as I am guessing a lot of the room did.
So now I am getting a little red in the face from my loud comment. The wine director asks me who poured me the wine. He brings purer over and he pours a taste and says toe room this a perfect example of the 96 vintage. He then removes the red cloth napkin that was tied around bottle to catch the drips (and covering the label). It was a 97 Opus.
I was the pretentious jerk until the napkin came off! Wine director told me it was one of the most impressive things he witnessed. Next day after returning from our excursions there was a hand written note indicating my wine tasting fee was being returned as well as a bottle 96 and 97 opus in our room.
The friends we made on that cruise who were with me at the tasting still remind me of how snobbish I came off.

[Ralph_Earle]

Not quite up to the standard set here, but at a tasting some 30 years ago a fellow in a bright red jacket was potificating away until I interrupted: “Excuse me, but why does every sentence you speak begin with the word ‘I’?” He paused a bit, then replied, “I guess that’s who I am!”

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

@David Cohen

Me! On my honeymoon cruise- it was a day at sea so the cruise ship had a lot of on board activities (watermelon sculpting class, dance class, talent show, wine tasting ,etc

The wines being poured were not much to write home about aside from the 96 opus (last wine of the tasting). After smelling and tasting it in my most subtle of New Freakin York accents I exclaim loudly apprently "This is either a shi$$ty 96 opus or most likey 97 opus being snucj in as a 96.
Well unknown to me the wine director was about 100 feet away but heard me clear as day as I am guessing a lot of the room did.
So now I am getting a little red in the face from my loud comment. The wine director asks me who poured me the wine. He brings purer over and he pours a taste and says toe room this a perfect example of the 96 vintage. He then removes the red cloth napkin that was tied around bottle to catch the drips (and covering the label). It was a 97 Opus.
I was the pretentious jerk until the napkin came off! Wine director told me it was one of the most impressive things he witnessed. Next day after returning from our excursions there was a hand written note indicating my wine tasting fee was being returned as well as a bottle 96 and 97 opus in our room.
The friends we made on that cruise who were with me at the tasting still remind me of how snobbish I came off.

Well done!

[Clint_S_Q_U_I_E_R]

David Cohen - you just became my wine idol. That’s awesome. I would’ve shot '97 Opus through my nose had I witnesses that.

[John_O]

When Craig Claiborne of the NY Times was young and still making a name for himself he ordered a Chassagne-Montrachet with lunch. The server brought over a Puligny-Montrachet, which Claiborne noticed. After the glasses were filled and the bottle placed in the bucket he proclaimed: “I ordered a Chassagne and this is a Puligny”. All around were impressed with his palate.

[Frank_Drew]

And his getting two white Burgundies for the price of one.

[Berry_Crawford]

@Bob Hughes

Lee, your post reminded me of a tasting many years ago at the Four Seasons in Philly.

I have no recollection of theme, but I do distinctly remember that Hubert Trimbach was there pouring a number of Trimbach’s, including a Pinot Gris that my wife literally detested. The look on Hubert’s face as he watched the look on my wife’s face as she tried the wine was priceless - almost like something you’d see in a horror movie

My wife once described a wine as “horrible”. Little did she know we were seated across from its maker at a dinner.

[Ron_Kramer]

Was it?

[Anton_D]

@David Cohen

Me! On my honeymoon cruise- it was a day at sea so the cruise ship had a lot of on board activities (watermelon sculpting class, dance class, talent show, wine tasting ,etc

The wines being poured were not much to write home about aside from the 96 opus (last wine of the tasting). After smelling and tasting it in my most subtle of New Freakin York accents I exclaim loudly apprently "This is either a shi$$ty 96 opus or most likey 97 opus being snucj in as a 96.
Well unknown to me the wine director was about 100 feet away but heard me clear as day as I am guessing a lot of the room did.
So now I am getting a little red in the face from my loud comment. The wine director asks me who poured me the wine. He brings purer over and he pours a taste and says toe room this a perfect example of the 96 vintage. He then removes the red cloth napkin that was tied around bottle to catch the drips (and covering the label). It was a 97 Opus.
I was the pretentious jerk until the napkin came off! Wine director told me it was one of the most impressive things he witnessed. Next day after returning from our excursions there was a hand written note indicating my wine tasting fee was being returned as well as a bottle 96 and 97 opus in our room.
The friends we made on that cruise who were with me at the tasting still remind me of how snobbish I came off.

I consider that to be a “100 point” awesome story, and what a gracious wine director!

[Berry_Crawford]

@Ron Kramer

Was it?

Its was very ripe and candied. Not my thing.

[Mark_Golodetz]

There used to be a special weekend of wine in a hotel in Albany NY, I think it was the Desmond. Part of the fun was an afternoon, where everybody would bring a bottle of wine, and it would be tasted blind. I knew who would be there, and brought an old bottle made by one of the winemakers. It was a 1977 Carneros Creek Pinot, I did not think it was particularly good but certainly not horrible. One of the people there really trashed it, saying it was disgusting and should never have been released into the market. I suggested it might be a bad bottle, but he was adamant, it was the wine. Unfortunately, it was Francis Mahoney, the winemaker.

It doesn’t come under the pompous behavior in the thread, but it is still a funny story. I got home, and there waiting for me, was an excellent bottle of Carneros Creek. Very gracious.

[mike_pobega]

I love this thread. it shows me exactly how little I know about wine, and that’s ok.

Cheers!

[Ken_V]

@Mark Golodetz

There used to be a special weekend of wine in a hotel in Albany NY, I think it was the Desmond. Part of the fun was an afternoon, where everybody would bring a bottle of wine, and it would be tasted blind. I knew who would be there, and brought an old bottle made by one of the winemakers. It was a 1977 Carneros Creek Pinot, I did not think it was particularly good but certainly not horrible. One of the people there really trashed it, saying it was disgusting and should never have been released into the market. I suggested it might be a bad bottle, but he was adamant, it was the wine. Unfortunately, it was Francis Mahoney, the winemaker.

It doesn’t come under the pompous behavior in the thread, but it is still a funny story. I got home, and there waiting for me, was an excellent bottle of Carneros Creek. Very gracious.

Yes, the Desmond. It was a great event where I got to meet many winemakers and learn a lot about wine. I met Mahoney several times. Really nice guy.

[Ken_V]

So last night, I’m at a Barolo tasting, and this old guy is going on about how he bought Giacosa red labels for $32, and then . . . oh wait, that was me. Nevermind.

[Craig_G]

@Ken V

So last night, I’m at a Barolo tasting, and this old guy is going on about how he bought Giacosa red labels for $32, and then . . . oh wait, that was me. Nevermind.

This is like that George Carlin joke: Anyone driving slower than me is an asshole, and anyone driving faster is a maniac. People who only bought the wines later for high prices are nouveau-riche jerks, and people who bought them earlier for lower prices are pretentious braggarts.

[Jay_Miller]

@Craig G

… People who only bought the wines later for high prices are nouveau-riche jerks, and people who bought them earlier for lower prices are pretentious braggarts.

Finally, someone who gets it!

[Kevin_Porter]

@c fu

@Lewis Dawson

I was probably pretentiously smug a couple years ago when served a wine double blind, I called it 1990 Penfolds Grange, and it was…

But my favorite blind tasting story was from circa 2000. My good friend Jim Wagner dearly loved 1978 Mondavi Reserve Cab, a wine Bob Parker rated 89/100 with lukewarm comments. Jim was travelling to San Francisco on business, and via the Mark Squires BB he set up a small offline in SF. It turned out Parker was also going to be in California at the same time, so he got added to the offline, an intimate group of 7 or 8 winos. My friend decided to blind Parker on the '78 Mondavi, as he was sure the wine deserved at least a mid-90’s rating.

So during the main course, Jim pulls out his mystery wine and pours it around. RP sniffs, sips, contemplates, and then he says “This is 1978 Mondavi, excellent but not a great wine to me.” Jim asked for the score, and RP says, “About 89.” Jim admitted defeat and pulled off the bag. (Hopefully an amusing story, but nothing pretentious.)

Nice job by parker!

Like David Z on a Texier!

[Ed_Steinway]

I went to a large supermarket yesterday after work to pick up some groceries and to check out the 30% off sale. I was looking at the Chard’s and the woman who worked there recommended the Landmark Overlook. I told her it is a wine that I have tried and I liked, but that it can also have a little too much oak for me. Her reply was that she ‘thought all American’s liked oak in their wine’. I politely replied that I was not overly fond of oak, and that I thought stereotyping wine drinkers was not the best approach to sales.

Thanks,
Ed

[Gary_York]

Maybe you are not an American.