Christmas Dinner Conundrum

No, I'm not talking about the white wine from Caymus.

What I'm talking about here applies equally to Thanksgiving, Easter, and any other big family feasts. For me, a big dinner like this is always an excuse to tap some of my better bottles from the cellar. I generally am content sharing something I paid a lot of money for with my brother and father. My mother doesn't really like wine, so she has a sip at most.

The problem is, a larger portion of the family is often invited to these. Is it rude to not offer them the good stuff, even when you know that they a) won't care, b) won't like it, or c) quietly dump it out while you're not looking (this has happened before)?

I don't want to be a snob, and tell them, "Sorry, this one is too expensive to share with the rest of you, but my brother and I have been waiting to open this with a prime rib roast?"

I'm sure I'm not alone here. How do you handle it? I ask because our upcoming 4-member immediate family Christmas dinner has now become a 9 person dinner.

- Chris

Reply to
Chris Sprague
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Pre-arrange the seating plan. Decant the wines - put the good stuff at your end of the table and a cheaper look-alike at the other end.

pk

Reply to
p.k.

Buy similar wines at various price points, drink the good stuff yourself.

Chris Sprague wrote:

Reply to
uraniumcommittee

Bring out both bottles with a flourish, give people a taste, let them choose. They will learn more about wine, you will get more enjoyment out of serving and discussing it, and everybody wins. Just don't say "Here we have a 1983 LaFeet Old Vine Zinfandel, and in the other corner a $2 plonk I picked up yesterday... whaddaya want?"

Jose

Reply to
Jose

I refuse to serve my best wine at Xmas, we have only 7 this year after years of 11.

Of those, only my wife, my son and myself appreciate fine wine. The rest DRINK it and and one prefers beer!!!!

So cheap generic fizz, Oz chardonnay, generic claret and generic stickie. Cheap and cheerful.

JT

Reply to
John Taverner

Use a normale and a riserva.

Examples:

Tiberini Vino Nobile Riserva ($27) for yourself, normale ($18) for the rest.

Notarpanaro ($20) for yourself, Salice Salentino ($10) for the others.

They won't know the difference.

Chris Sprague wrote:

Reply to
uraniumcommittee

"John Taverner" wrote in news:Bvgof.65198$ snipped-for-privacy@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk:

Although I would be tempted by the PK approach, my wife would die of embarassment and I would basically agree with her feelings, so it is medium price stuff, better than the brother in law deserves and not as good as I would like.

Reply to
jcoulter

I sympathize, but I personally don't really like the Richard Nixon solution. If a substantial part of the table is not interested in wine (or will drink anything), I generally chose to serve wines I think are interesting, but not precious. Another solution is to go around providing small sample pours of each wine (combining your treasures with some much less dear wines), then let everyone chose which one they would like to pour more of. At big parties if there's some geeks and many others, I typically set the more interesting bottles towards back. Those that don't care will just pour whatever is in front, and those interested will gravitate towards the harder to reach bottles. In general I save my favorite bottles for dinner parties where people, even if they're not geeks, appreciate that I'm pouring something special.

Chris Sprague wrote:

Reply to
DaleW

Easy... get a fruit forward Zin from California and serve it to those that aren't into wine, and save the vintage Bordeaux for yourself and the few others who will really enjoy it. If anyone seems interested in the good stuff who you thought wouldn't, offer them a taste. If they like it, by all means, pour them a glass. Don't discuss the price or vintage of either wine. Based solely on the taste, most novice wine drinkers will gravitate towards the Zin.

Greg

Reply to
gregmg

I like to use any occasion to get folks to try wine. You never know when their "magic moment" will occur when they suddenly get it. How great to be the one that poured that glass! And it's not going to happen if you serve the really cheap stuff.

That said, I wouldn't pull out a bottle which is extremely dear and/or irreplacable. Those bottles should be saved for special, smaller occasions anyway- to go with a meal cooked specifically to match, and small quiet company so that contemplation can happen.

But don't forget- it's the holidays! Live it up a bit! Get a little more generous than you think you should be!

Cheers, e.

Reply to
e. winemonger

While he was alive my brother in laws father a retired sanitary engineer would drive from the Bronx to Bergen County NJ for his daughter in laws Thanksgiving dinner. I had visited a NJ shop (either Fine Wine or Oprandy's in Englewood and secured an older Barolo, probably a 70 (This was 1984 or

85). Pop took a heafty swill and said "Too sour" and dumped a bunch of OJ in the carafe. I managed a few ounces but the next I bought Pop a "special" bottle befitting hid palate probably Annie Greenspring or some Sangria, On another dinner one of my sister's friend brought a Wente Gray Riesling, a little font of acidity. After we all had it, she asked me what I thought of it. I demurred, but she kept asking and I told her Gray Riesling was a great wine for people who never tried a drier wine. My sister is still bitching about how I insulted her friend............
Reply to
Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg

When I bring a bottle I don't expect it to necessarily be served that day, or to me. It is a gift. I bring special wines to those I know would appreciate them. They don't have to appreciate them with me.

Jose

Reply to
Jose

"Joe \"Beppe\"Rosenberg" wrote in news:IdGdnfpd_sOq2D_enZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

We have all been to this place. I find nothing wrong with putting the wine brought aside. unless it was specificially brought for the dinner. I got a delightful bottle of Cos that way once, it was way to young to drink anyway and all concerned knew it even when we went to plan C for dinner as the first was corked and the second just not so good as expected.

When I take a bottle to a wine friend's house, I take something interesting that they might like but might not have (if possible) Similarly when a friend brings something I gush and try to remember the giver so that some day when itis right the bottle may just show up at dinner, with the giver. Of course for that to work you have to sometimes keep your friends a while, The cos guy moved before it was ready, good for me, becasue he could really drink a lot of wine, while my wife and I could just enjoy.

Reply to
jcoulter

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