We’ve all been there.
You’re hosting a dinner party and a guest has brought a bottle of wine. The next question is: Should it be served that evening with dinner?
Having good wine etiquette can help both guest and host overcome an awkward situation.
As a guest, it’s always appropriate to bring wine to dinner. And it might be fun to share a bottle from your own wine cellar particularly if it’s one you’ve crafted yourself.
However, it’s a little unfair to expect your hosts to serve it that night. It’s safe to assume that your host has already chosen wine paired with the food they plan to serve.
A good guest will bring a warm bottle of wine, clearly demonstrating that they don’t expect to have it served that evening.
As the host, make sure that the wine you’ve chosen for the evening matches the food that you are serving. It’s wise to have a few extra bottles on hand just in case if the wine falls flat for whatever reason.
Top your guest’s glasses only half or two-thirds full depending on the size of the wine glass. And guests, using the boarder house reach to fill up your glass and others is a definite faux pas. Allow your host to fill your glass, even if you have to ask for ‘another taste of that excellent wine.’
A glass of wine before dinner is sometimes nice, but make sure that you choose a light wine. For white winemakers/lovers spritzers are ideal and for red wine lovers perhaps a Pinot Noir, or any wine that is light and fruity and doesn’t have a lot of tannin.
The Wine Butler would like to remind all it’s customers, to always drink responsibly.
