Great question, Alan. “Good wine” and “too much” are relative terms dependent upon the individual in question. Personally, I will always choose to drink down in price and perceived/actual rarity/scarcity as my consumption increases.
I just had this type of situation. We don’t really have “those” bottles of wine as we are new to this but we do have a nice selection of ports we’ve been saving. Last Sunday we had a small gathering for my daughter’s birthday and decided to end the evening with a glass of port. My son and his roommate(who is like another son to us) had come up for the dinner and were spending the night. (The son’s roommate had called me earlier to ask if he could stay the night as he had an appointment nearby in the morning). Neither of them had ever really had port and seemed interested. We had just finished up a bottle of our standby stuff and had to go down to the cellar and get a new bottle. Hubby decided it was a good time to open the good stuff, what the heck were we waiting for anyway? So we shared the bottle and had a blast. So lesson learned, I’m going to start opening more of my saved bottles and enjoy them now!
Annette
A couple of years ago , I came home from a business trip and went down to the basement to discover that my better half had consumed a bottle that I had really been looking forward to. So I started the “dot system”. She can open anything that doesn’t have a dot on it. A few months later, we had a party and I popped something that my palate was way too shot to truly enjoy. So we expanded the dot system to two dots. 2 dots means I’m not allowed to open it if I have a measurable BAC.
So you drop $300 on a prime seat for a favorite band/theater/playoff game. You get plastered beforehand at the bar next door to the event space, stumble to your seat, fall asleep ten minutes into the performance/game, wake up afterwards feeling improbably refreshed. I guess your story is that you emotionally enjoyed the hell out of the $300 just because you got pissed and had a good time… and a good nap?
I guess if the enjoyment you might take in more fully appreciating the bottle isn’t substantially greater than how much you enjoy being blitzed, well, there’s no significant opportunity cost to account for. But then the regrettable event wasn’t consuming the trophy bottle, it was buying it - there’s no reason to spend so much.
Hi Annette
I reckon Port is an exception to the rule. It certainly has the impact to be noticed at the end of an evening, but also forces a necessary slowing down in drinking pace - as you can’t carry on slurping it down (well you can, but Port hangovers can be extreme).
FWIW I still prefer port at the end of a sit down meal, having fun with the tradition of passing the decanter to the left, and if it lingers too long in front of someone, they are referred to as the Bishop of Norwich (presumably one of them was known for hogging the port?). This for me, makes it a more social drink.
regards
Ian
Definition of a good time–getting seriously high and opening a 1971 DRC Richebourg mag, or a 1974 Heitz Martha’s mag and turning it into expensive piss and which cannot be remembered on either end of the journey.
Hey, but you own it and can do whatever…right(and duh)?
Richard
Do we buy wine to taste or to drink ?
Is ie better to taste a wine in ideal circumstances or to enjoy during a memorable night with friends even if you dont geek the wine ?
My vote is to enjoy with friends, otherwise what is the point ?
Alan
If you can’t remember it, then how do you know you didn’t enjoy the Hell out of it?
Life is a carnival.
We are all responsible for the price of our own piss.
In fact…What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning, with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?
Interesting thread. IMO there is no right or wrong, it’s up to the individual who’s pulling the bottles.
I prefer to open my best bottle first and then drink down from there if I’m drinking with non wine geeks. When I attend wine functions with close friends who appreciate wine I like to bring nice bottles as I’m not worried about money. For wine dinners, tastings or special ocassions like birthdays, Christmas, and NYE, which are spent with family, I’ll open pretty much any bottle I own. But, there are a few specific bottles I save to drink by myself.
I like the idea of having a few bottles set aside for a gathering in case I want to open more. I am a very happy person when I’ve had too much good wine. So it’s not uncommon for me to run down to the cellar for more. With a good plan I have 1-2 bottles set aside just in case.
I have the solution to this problem - and I think I’m going to cross post it in the “How secure is your cellar door” thread.
Install a breathalyzer as your cellar door lock “combination”. Just like they do on car ignitions! Voila!!! No more dumb mistakes when your decision making is impaired.
I am a big believer in opening wine that is at some level better than the occasion in the hope of elevating the occasion if only a bit.
OTOH, I have been at a number of social wine occasions where so much wine got opened that a lot did not get finished and, worse, it was difficult to enjoy the full lineup even if normal social graces are ignored. Outside of fearing that one morning I will wake up to a guillotine outside, these “hedonistic” events seem to miss the point.
I don’t feel like there’s enough distinction between the second and third options, and neither actually represents a truly ‘moderate’ option, so I will abstain from voting.
I never allow myself to get fully drunk, comfortably tipsy sometimes sure, but frankly, I don’t really enjoy being tipsy, and I see it as distraction from fully enjoying the experience. Frankly, I generally run into palate fatigue before I would be having too much, and I will cut myself off at that point because I’m well into “diminishing returns.” I drink wine to enjoy and to contemplate, and going too far interferes with that. I won’t say that pulling out an outstanding bottle late in the lineup is a wasted experience, but if I’m fortunate enough to be drinking 1st Growth Bdx or the like, I’d rather take my time with it.
So on the balance, yes, I think going too far is going too far. 
Mostly 3 - it’s wine. I buy it to drink and share with people. A bit of 4 - super prized bottles I still would share but wouldn’t drink at the end of a long night.
It comes down to money, quantity, and company. If you only have four Lafites and, in drunken splendor with less than ideal people, decide to open a bottle, then you’ll have some regret, as OP experienced.
If you have plenty of champagne and open an excellent bottle with people you cherish, then that’s another story. I’d go balls to the walls with people I enjoy being around. If it’s anything less, I’m not opening my prized wines for them. Why should I? You’re essentially treating them to the cash equivalent of ten serious dinners.