Do you stop bringing out the good stuff?

Okay, Len and I were discussing this the other day and wanted to find out what others do in these situations...
You are having a small dinner party and serving really nice wine. Several of your guests are drinking to excess. So much so that you are certain their taste buds are way past the point of being able to discern good wine from plonk. Do you plan for this and serve your nicest wines first and wind down the evening with less expensive wines?
I don't want to give the impression we are not all for "eating, drinking and being merry." We are, and love to serve nice stuff, but we want people to remember it the next day!
We were joking that we're going to start setting out a wine "line-up" starting with several bottles of our nicest of wines, going to a more mid-range wines, then maybe some Two-Buck-Chuck and ending with a box-o-wine.

So what do you guys do?

[Jenise]

Carrie, I started to say that if I *do* wind down except when I'm serving people who I know would recognize the decline in quality, and then I went, "No, wait a minute, the people I know who know great from plonk aren't the ones drinking to excess so actually no I don't." But yes there are times when it's late in the evening and good people have gotten a bit noisy and want more wine but they're by no means blotto, and I think it's too late to bring out anything that won't be appreciated in the way it would have been earlier in the evening. That's when I pull back to something I won't miss losing from the cellar or can be easily replaced, and say "Oh here's something I'd love to have your opinions on! It's from a new winery in the blah-de-blah...."--you get the idea. Serve it with excitement and they'll probably be excited enough to try it. In the meantime, save your cellar treasures for more sober occasions. People really CAN have too much of a good thing.

I definitely think of the guests when choosing the wine.

I'm not at the point where I have endless supplies of high-end wine, so I am much more likely to open it around people who will appreciate it.

But of course that doesn't mean I'm not opening good wine. Just different levels of complexity/rarity.

But beyond that, I don't think we really get to the point where we won't get something out of the wine, in any of the groups. A bigger factor for what to open later in the evening is what drinks well after dinner. So I'm probably not opening the aged white or red wines anyway. Something sweet and/or refreshing is probably more called for regardless.

Even with people who can appreciate it, sometimes the alcohol consumed makes it difficult for a wine to make an impression. I've seen this often enough at wine tastings. FWIW I'd move to Amarone, Port or similar. It should have a punchy enough flavour to make a difference, but should also encourage a slowing down (of course if they don't slow down, it could get very messy very quickly!). Better to go for intensity than subtlety towards the end of such an evening.

regards

Ian

When we are entertaining another couple, we try to keep it to two bottles. If they are not both the same, we serve a lesser one of the same type second.

When we are entertaining another couple, we try to keep it to two bottles. If they are not both the same, we serve a lesser one of the same type second.

When you say the 'same type' - does that mean you never have a progression from white to red, sparkling to still, dry to sweet, etc.

When you say the 'same type' - does that mean you never have a progression from white to red, sparkling to still, dry to sweet, etc.

Sometimes yes, but I was primarily referring to the main course. If was Cab to start with, a lesser Cab will follow if the first one was not available.

When you say the 'same type' - does that mean you never have a progression from white to red, sparkling to still, dry to sweet, etc.

Sometimes yes, but I was primarily referring to the main course. If was Cab to start with, a lesser Cab will follow if the first one was not available.

Makes sense.

Am I the only one who thinks Cana wrt this thread?

It depends on who is in the dinner party. If it's a true geeky crowd I maintain the same level of quality throughout the evening. I've yet to see a real wine geek blottto. A group with less knowledge I serve what I call the second string wines. Decent enough that I like drinking them but for example no 82 Bordeauxs, probably some CA cabs out of the late nineties. We don't really have dinner parties for people who have absolutely no appreciation for good food and wine. My wife says it's a waste of time and effort. We usually attend restaurants with those people and we can all choose what to eat. We always split the bill evenly and if anyone starts with I ate this you ate that and wants to figure the bill that way it only happens to us once.

Even with people who can appreciate it, sometimes the alcohol consumed makes it difficult for a wine to make an impression. I've seen this often enough at wine tastings. FWIW I'd move to Amarone, Port or similar. It should have a punchy enough flavour to make a difference, but should also encourage a slowing down (of course if they don't slow down, it could get very messy very quickly!). Better to go for intensity than subtlety towards the end of such an evening.

regards

Ian

Ian, I really like this idea. should have thought of that. They are definitely people who appreciate good wine, and even though they can barely see as the evening winds down, I can picture them picking up the bottles and scrutinizing the labels.

But yes there are times when it's late in the evening and good people have gotten a bit noisy and want more wine but they're by no means blotto, and I think it's too late to bring out anything that won't be appreciated in the way it would have been earlier in the evening. That's when I pull back to something I won't miss losing from the cellar or can be easily replaced, and say "Oh here's something I'd love to have your opinions on! It's from a new winery in the blah-de-blah...."--you get the idea. Serve it with excitement and they'll probably be excited enough to try it. In the meantime, save your cellar treasures for more sober occasions. People really CAN have too much of a good thing.

Jenise, this is also a good idea. Make it seem like something special vs. "don't want to waste a nice wine on your drunken-ness." The bottom line is what we originally thought--need a bit of an advanced plan so we are not digging through the cellar at the last minute trying to pull out something we won't miss down the road.

Thanks everyone for your input.

As a host/hostess you also have to have concerns about whether your guests can get safely home. Might be best not to offer further alcohol if they seem tipsy. Or, if possible, offer to call a taxi or drive them home yourself or with a sober designated driver. In the summertime you might be able to pull out a pre-prepared pitcher of diluted Sangria (red or white) that won't contribute too much to the alcohol percentage in their blood. Also divert them to small food items such as Petits Fours or mini-cream puffs. Offer coffee, espresso or the like to indicate that the alcoholic drinks are done for the evening.

[James Roscoe]

As a host/hostess you also have to have concerns about whether your guests can get safely home. Might be best not to offer further alcohol if they seem tipsy. Or, if possible, offer to call a taxi or drive them home yourself or with a sober designated driver. In the summertime you might be able to pull out a pre-prepared pitcher of diluted Sangria (red or white) that won't contribute too much to the alcohol percentage in their blood. Also divert them to small food items such as Petits Fours or mini-cream puffs. Offer coffee, espresso or the like to indicate that the alcoholic drinks are done for the evening.

The advantage of a large home is extra beds for just such problems. Couches and chairs will serve in a pinch. See Chapter one of The Hobbit." My house has looked like that. We have even ended the night singing some strange songs. I never woke up to run after a dragon though.

Even with people who can appreciate it, sometimes the alcohol consumed makes it difficult for a wine to make an impression. I've seen this often enough at wine tastings. FWIW I'd move to Amarone, Port or similar. It should have a punchy enough flavour to make a difference, but should also encourage a slowing down (of course if they don't slow down, it could get very messy very quickly!). Better to go for intensity than subtlety towards the end of such an evening.

regards

Ian

I don't know, Ian. Seems to me, offering an inebriated guest port, is akin to giving a drowning man a glass of water.

Just sayin'..
JB

Indeed, which is the point JC was making (and there are times where your friends may thank you for slowing down the pace - at least when they're over the hangover).

My comment was very much about tasting the wine. Another bottle of 1974 Barolo might pass unnoticed as slightly weak but quaffable , but a 1975 Port might remind people it's about the taste, not just the alcohol (with the intensity needed to remind the palate it still has a role in the evening). Serving an Aussie Muscat along with coffee might be a 'best of both worlds' option?

regards

Ian