Or EPL, Hi-Fi, what we are listening to, Flannery…
Definitely a Pro Tip
Along those lines, unless you are spitting all night, take an Uber there and back. I’ve seen way too many people plonk down wine at a tasting then hop in a car. Seen a few that needed their one phone call. Surprisingly it still needs to be said sadly.
Adding a few.
Bring back up bottle. Always.
Be mindful when decanting and handling bottles.
Speak your mind but be kind when a wine is not to your liking. Someone brought that bottle and his intention was good.
Speak your mind but don’t try to brown beat the group. Tends to shut down the conversation.
Be appreciative when someone digs deep and brings a unicorn or generous offering.
I’ve never been to one, and based on what I’ve read here I don’t think I ever will.
In all seriousness, we are piling up good suggestions!
I will add: make a quick compliment to people who say something you find useful.
If someone offers a flavor or aroma observation that catches your fancy, point out what a great call he/she made. It helps build chat momentum!
Here’s a few don’ts based on what I have encountered…
Don’t overpour and dump. Pouring a 4 oz pour, tasting it, and then dumping 3.5 oz of it is downright disrespectful if there is a bunch of folks who have not yet tasted the wine.
Don’t take forever and then complain. Tastings are not defined as “relaxing with each wine to see how it changes in the glass”. When 20 others pour 1.5 ounces each, then guess what? You missed about half the wines. Don’t complain - keep up or bring your own magnum.
Don’t bring a “special” bottle and keep it hidden under your jacket so only you and your closest friends can drink it. People will see it and call you a dick for not sharing.
More importantly is what to do instead - be nice, polite, engaging, and helpful. Smile, have fun, and enjoy. Know the minimum price and the maximum price. Bring a backup. Bring a gift to the hosts. Drink water. Uber. Don’t be the last to leave unless asked to stick around.
Well said. One of my worst tasting nightmares ever was the one time in my life (for my 35th Birthday) that I presented the entire DRC range in the newest vintage (2006.) As host I took pours last, and did not even get any Richebourg on the first flight. We immediately had a waiter do all the pouring from that moment, and a couple of friends very kindly shared their Richebourg- the asshole who took a full glass did not even blink.
And one addition from me,
- Make it very clear up front how the dinner check is to be split. I once attended a tasting when I was on a pretty intense diet, plus the restaurant brought me an entirely different entrée from what I had ordered. Rather than get another, I just stuck with the rest of my Caesar salad and then bread and butter off the table. At the end of the night I had to fork over nearly $200 because everyone else had done multiple courses including some pretty fancy ones. I see the merit in sharing the check equally, but when it is that imbalanced- it really is not cool to insist, especially if nothing was said in advance.
Invest in auto pipette for those who deal with greedy drinkers.
I can understand that. I regularly organise offlines in the UK and they are a lot more laid-back than the impression I get here of offlining.
In my experience offlines, vary a lot in how they are run, and my main suggestion would be to ask the organizer about what the deal is. They need not be scary.
I’ve got to say, I’m not exactly sure what constitutes an “offline” for the purposes of this conversation.
Does it mean any group wine tasting where people bring bottles to share? Or just ones thrown together via message board and mostly among people who don’t know each other and aren’t regulars tasting together?
If it’s the former, I’ve been to a great many with many different compositions of people, and the amount of notable bad behavior I’ve seen is minuscule.
I’ve been to just a few few of the latter, and I’ve generally had little problem there either, but it’s harder for me to say.
I guess my point is, don’t let this kind of thread dissuade you. If anything, the general awareness and consensus here suggests most of us know not to do these sorts of things.
What he said ^^^
I wrote this long dissertation and as I was about to post, Chris said it so much better.
My only suggestion - Be clear as to the point of the event. If you want people to bring something specific, say so. But be open to whatever.
If it’s a regular tasting group, that’s not really an “offline” so none of the above matters.
Great point. Like so many things in life, a little communication up front can go a long way to avoiding awkward or unhappy outcomes.
If you have a group of people who don’t normally taste together and you say “bring a good bottle,” and some guys bring first growths and another brings Bedrock zinfandel, it might just be that the guy who brought Bedrock had no idea he was being the laggard and is more bummed about it than the guys who brought first growths. Or if you say “Burgundy” and some bring grand cru reds and one guy brings a $40 Chablis, again, same thing. Or vice versa - everyone brings $50 wines and one guy brings a $250 wine.
If the people aren’t familiar enough to know the approximate standard, I think it’s nicer to be more explicit up front than to risk what I described above. Say the theme is “grand cru Burgundy from good vintages in the 1990s” or “recent vintage Northern Rhones $50-100” or something. Then everyone has at least a fairly good idea, and if someone (in the latter example) brings a $15 Cotes du Rhone, well then it’s clear he was being cheap, but it becomes highly unlikely that would happen.
We are having a mind meld, Greg. I just posted (in my usual too-verbose way) what you said right before me, as well.
I have to agree with Chris. Offlines are a great way to meet people and widen your wine experiences. After doing these for some years I have developed some excellent friendships from these events. And I have seen almost no bad behavior. Give your fellow wine lover the opportunity to shine and share and I bet you’ll have fun.
I much prefer great company and nondescript wines than vice-versa.
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Lots of good suggestions here - but in responding directly to bdklein, if you never go to an offline because of this thread, that would be a shame.
I’ve met some folks over the years that I now consider to be good friends, and that never would have happened if I hadn’t been open to the idea of drinking wines with a bunch of strangers.
Not every tasting is equally successful, and not every person you meet will be your “cup of tea”, but by and large it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me, and something that has provided a great wine “education” through the years.
Not sure if mentioned above, but our groups can occupy the table for some time with heavy use of glassware, so
Offer your host a glass of wine. So many times we have offered our waiter/waitress and chef a glass of something special from the table. In most cases they are very appreciative.
+1. But it’s always a bonus when the wines are great too.
Assuming that the offline is at a restaurant which is where I almost always hold them, try to be as appreciative as possible of the wait staff. Offering them or the manager a pour as mentioned is a good idea They work very hard and often these dinners go 3 hours +. With this in mind we try to tip 25% or more if the service is good.
No doubt on this one.
The overpouring and bringing appropriate wines comments are so dead on. Both of those irk the crap out of me. Big reason I love my main tasting group! (and they are just all together great people).
I do think have thoughtful conversations about the wines is so important. It’s like your one chance.