What do you serve at parties?

WINE TALK
21

La Rioja Alta

Always a good choice. Love their wines!

22

Groups of non wine geeks: For red, a Cotes du Rhône. Multiple good ones available around $20. For white, an inexpensive NV Champagne. I stock up when the local shop or Total Wine has a sale so there are always a few bottles with 2-3 years additional cellar age on hand.

If there will be people there whose preferences I know, I serve what they like.

23

I have always enjoyed serving Morgan Winery wines, especially the twelve clones pinot and the cotes due crows blend. In PA they’ve had a nice deal this fall selling the pinot for $23 and GS blend for $14. Picked up a bunch. A few others would be quivira whites and Matthiasson Rose’. Also agree on the Bedrock OVZ.

24

To OP: Just buy whatever you want at a fair price.

Always love when people say “Omg, I don’t want to open my best wines for parties, but idk what else to get.” People who say that don’t really have amazing wine to begin with. If they did, they’d have a little discernment.

25

I’m planning on bringing a Flowers PN to a white elephant this week. Usually the large wine stores are good at providing reasonable suggestions. I have seen La Crema a lot this season for the non wine crowd.
Personally, I’d try to do a case purchase of a wine in the 40 dollar price point and use that. Half reds and half whites. There are a lot of good Chardonnay names that are in the 30-40 dollar range in California. Also Pat Green is a good PN. Along with sojourn, flowers, many many names in the region. There is also so much from the Santa Cruz and Paso Robles area that is very reasonable. If you want to be even more reasonable you can look to Malbecs and Shiraz from Australia or wines from South Africa. A friend always buys Argentinean wines and they are pretty good, and probably pretty reasonable as they are screw tops. Also cdp in the 30-40 dollar range can be pretty good. Joel Gott and Layer cake is also another value wine provider. (Honestly non wineberserkers don’t care and if a wine drinks decently, they don’t care about the winery at all.)

26

Inexpensive CDPs tend to be crowd pleasers, I find.

27

This.

So, last night, that meant a 2016 dry Riesling from Leitz, a 2016 Pinot Noir from Dierberg, a 2004 CdP, and a 2004 Priorat. They all went over very well.

28

The good bottles, except My Latour !

29

Magnums, just because they look cool and will be remembered.
Or open a mixed case of things you think will go with the food. Certainly you must have wines for the occasion in your cellar? No need to cheapen the event by serving 2-buck Chuck or Apothic.

30

No need to cheapen the event by serving 2-buck Chuck or Apothic.

[wow.gif]

Markus!

Who would ever do something so despicable?

31

It’s a great moment to share good wine with good people. This year 1990 Leoville Barton, should do the trick.

32

I think that is great in theory, but for me at least, does not always work. I think my wines are a bit geeky for normal wine consumers, and I also find at least in my family, there is a range of levels of appreciation in wine, so some folks are pouring huge glasses of expensive wine that, to be candid and not intended to be disrespectful, becomes a bit of a waste. Even my wife complains about my palate.

I’m going through this exercise today, bringing six bottles to my family’s Xmas Eve dinner and then 6 for Xmas day. I may bring a couple geeky things to set aside for myself and my sister - she has a tremendous palate - but for the most part will try to bring crowd pleasing wines that I may enjoy - enjoy, not geeky over - as well.

Bedrock Zin OV
Beaucastel Coudoulet
Chateau Barde Haut - not my style but drinks more like a Cali

Still picking through to see what else.

I wish that I had some magnums.

33

When we have guests over, I serve only what I would drink, primarily really nice white/red burgundy. Life is too short, wine is meant to be shared and appreciated.
Merry Christmas!

34

Aren’t you assuming they will appreciate your burgundy? For example, my dad introduced me to French wines, loves Bordeaux, Châteauneuf, Cali Cabs, and for whatever reason, doesn’t really care for burgundy. That’s primarily why I try to anticipate the tastes of the audience.

35

Unless it’s a small dinner or group of real wine lovers, including those who may not yet know much about wine, I tend not to open any big guns. The atmosphere during a party doesn’t usually allow for the attention and time that the best wines deserve. When we’re hosting, we’re also way too busy to sit and relax and appreciate the way I would want to. That said, I only own wines I’m happy to drink, so I see no compromise in opening some of my favorite easy drinking, food friendly wines that need no particular prep or reverence.

36

I am with Ben, especially the CdR and the Roederer [cheers.gif] .

37

Ok, I’m sticking to my guns. Bringing six bottles of quality crowd-pleasers, and then one geeky thing, a magnum of 2011 Clos de La Roilette Cuvée Griffe du Marquis. Having roasted pig Cuban-stule tonight, bet a higher acid wine like that Roilette will work perfectly with the pig fat.

38

I’ll open good stuff for the wine lovers and people who express interest and savor it. Fruity, oaky and familiar reds and whites for the wine likers. 4 years ago at our annual xmas dinner I brought a case of pricey wine and the lush of the party said “Oooh, a cab, I love cab!”, and polished off 3/4 of the most expensive bottle in about 1/2 hour, and then left hammered blind, then did the same every other year. We usually decant 2 nice reds and have a couple whites open at a time, and for the wine lovers, stash a really nice bottle decanted behind the bar. One of the decanters will have a $20 bottle in it and “her” glass will be monitored and topped off to the rim. [snort.gif]

39

Opened a Bedrock OV Zin while entertaining last night. Hadn’t realized what a crowd-pleaser it would be, and of course satisfied the wine nerds, too. So +1 for that on this thread.

40

Yeah forgot ovz in the house red category.

I won’t pour anything I don’t routinely drink myself.

Gift is another story; I’ll regift wine like nobody’s business, or the half bottles of Pinot Grigio I got to get $170 09 cristal at vino Volo before I hit grande reserve.