Wine and Party Etiquette

BBQ season is coming up, this means that most of us will either host parties or attend parties at homes. I have blundered the gifting of wine so many times that I thought the best way to teach wine gifting etiquette is to share my experiences. Here are three blunders and at the end I'll provide my tips to help your experiences be more successful.

I recently was invited to a dinner party. I bought two amazing and relatively expensive bottles of wine. One as a gift for the host and the other was something I wanted to share at the party. I had just come back from traveling to South Africa and hoped my wine would be a conversation starter. The host hoarded both bottles and stored them BOTH away.


Another time my boss, the CFO for the company I worked at invited me to his home for a BBQ. Of course I tried to show off and bought an expensive bottle of Napa Sparkling wine. I was greeted at the door by his housekeeper who politely relieved the bottle from my hands and placed it next to random grocery store selections other people bought.

Then there is the time I gave the host a bottle of well aged Bordeaux thinking they would enjoy it later. "Later" I found it lined up on the counter next to other beverages and red cups. Later in the evening I overheard another guest say the wine was bad as she poured it out because " there was stuff floating in it and it smelled like wet towels". No honey that is called sediment and rained on forest floor to wine lovers like me!

Here are some key tips:
✔️Know your audience and occasion.
✔️Always take a host gift. Wine is great however keep the bottle between $15-$25.
✔️If you would like to take wine as your food contribution contact host first and ask if it's ok.

​Someone else's party is not your time nor the wine you love time to shine. Save great to excellent bottles of wine for parties you host, small intimate gatherings filled with wine lovers.