Is anyone ever faced with a dilemma when buying wine for a party?
My sons first birthday is coming up and unsurprisingly we've invited more people than absolutely necessary; most of them are aware that wine is something of a passion and I suspect they expect me to provide good wine, even though the majority believe that Oxford Landing Sauvignon is the acme of fine wine.
I'm sure that I'm not alone in this scenario - what do other people do? provide budget bottles knowing they they'll love it but think you a cheap bast*rd, or spend more than you need to, not eat for a fortnight and not have people appreciate it? (erm that sort of answers my own question but see below)
BTW I've just been bought lunch at the MCG and have consumed most of a bottle of Coldstream Hills Merlot 05. It's safe to say that I'm a bit worse for wear, will do bugger all work this avo and am open to abuse
That's one reason I buy a bit of wine on Gray's, if they look up the RRP of some of the wines I get for $5-$10 delivered they will find $20-$30pb (or not be able to find them).
But even my WWD friend doesn't drink Sauv Blanc and many of my friends share in the auction buys, they can't be fooled any more, so I just dig into the cellar for wines I want to try myself or want to get rid of, depending on the group.
Cheers Brian Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Since you are in Melbourne, try Get Wines Direct or other wine warehouses. There are heaps of "higher value" and award winning wines for less than $10.
That way you save and not be accused of being a cheap bugger.
This is not a dig at you Rawshack but I am somewhat concerned about the prevalence of alcohol at kids parties. We had our fourth birthday party for my middle boy two weeks ago and when I cleaned up the next day I it struck me that we had been drinking (okay so no adult got "pissed" and a few were not drinking at all) at a little kids birthday party. Yes it was a late afternoon/evening affair - started at 4pm and last guests left at 9.30. The thing is I hadn't even really thought about whether that was appropriate or not before the fact.
I guess my defence would be that when we have daytime birthday parties it's a tea and coffee affair. Mind you I have been to daytime kiddie/toddler birthday parties where guests have felt it appropriate to be drinking rum & cola cans at 11am! Maybe I am getting old and turning into a conservative . Sorry about this stream of consciousness writing and the hijacking of your thread Rawshack (again this is not a dig - it just prompted me to ask a question that has been bubbling in my subconscious for a while).
I would appreciate others' thoughts, especially if you think I should have started a new thread .
Cheers
Michael
PS Bringing it back to wine, I am sipping or is that supping a Seppelt Victorian Shiraz 2005. Some violets and crushed flowers on the nose. Lovely acid backbone to this wine. Good dark/black fruit. Nice light pepper. Good length. Remarkable at eleven bucks and went extremely well with the barbequed belly ribs, home made fries, brocolli and zucchini.
With my eldest daughter (now 12) being named Elizabeth (the semillon) and my other daughter Grace (no, not "Hill Of"), they have got used to the fact that my parents, partner and I will pull out a namesake bottle every year.
In terms of the original subject, I must admit that I will buy wines to suit the anticipated tastes of the people attending. Not all of my friends are wine buffs, and I keep a mix of wines on hand - some that I want to drink (and those 'in the know' get to look at), and those that are for general consumption. There's no point wasting a $50 bottle on people who think the $15 'general' wine is the best thing they've seen all year.
Hope this helps.
Allan
Wine, women and song. Ideally, you can experience all three at once.
I do not have children or pretend to know how to raise them, however I have no problem with alcohol at children's parties for the grownups. I grew up in Europe and Australia with a big family who always celebrated special occasions with lots of wine and usually hard spirits like armagnac etc! I don't ever recall it being a problem and we didn't grow up to be alcoholics... erm, or did I? hehe....
As for choosing wines for the party, I would either a) purchase good budget bottles and forget what your friends might think of you (you're the one paying!) or b) ask everyone to bring a bottle of their favourite along and mix it up a bit. If quality is a problem or you're not sure what to buy, ask someone at your local bottleshop or check tasting notes to find 'good all rounder' wines first before purchasing.
WineBox Co. - - conquer the world, one grape at a time - -
I'll tell you how I deal with events where the average guest knows very little about wine. I take it as a challenge to find something different and unique that will make them focus on the wine and perhaps go out and buy the wine.
The wine need not be expensive, just a notch higher than what they might ordinarily spend. It becomes a bit of a wine education and it might broaden their palate. An expensive wine will only prove that you can spend money and that is all they will take away from the experience. Besides, almost anyone can walk into a store and come away with a decent bottle if they're prepared to pay.
The ultimate compliment is to hear guests ask you where they can buy the wine. They're not going to do that if you present an expensive wine. Now is your chance to serve an inexpensive but fruity, dry Riesling, a Tahbilk Marsanne, a Verdelho, etc. With reds you can find good inexpensive wines without going to the bulk producers. If the guests are impressed with the wine they'll forget about your being "cheap", instead they will realize that your interest in wine is more about the wine and not the money. And its true. Wouldn't we all like to buy our wines for less?
There is a discussion on this forum about inexpensive quaffers. You might find that useful.
My last experience was a dinner where I took a Spanish Grenache. Now the host tells me they are buying the wine. Have to admit it makes me feel good.
I must admit this will be a concern in future years. My daughter is 3 and I currently have 50 magnums and 70 bottles in her birth year collection. I'm not a wine snob but I wont be opening them for her mates in 15 years....good wine is strictly a family affair. Having said that I'll need serious locks on the cellar when she gets older.....I can just see her and the girls drinking all the sauterns
Nothing is so effective in keeping one young and full of lust as a discriminating palate thoroughly satisfied at least once a day.
I had alot of great wine aside for the wine buffs at my wedding , the most popular wine was penfolds Koonunga hill aged for a couple of years and annies lane shiraz What was amazing was they did not even try the or look at the premium stuff at all !!!! There was Orlando Centenary hill just sitting there and no takers WOW So my suggestion is stick to every day stuff people know and you cant go wrong.....Most of all have a good time
Regards Dazza
Some people slurp it,others swill it,a few sip on it,some gaze at it for hours ,enough now wheres the RED
In the old days (wouldn't dream of doing it now) - when I knew that my cellar could get a hammering from some of my beer drinking mates, I'd find cheap wines and decant them into more expensive bottles (ones you've drunk previously - works really well if you have a Jereboam or 2). Amazing sometimes what results you can get - even from some friends who supposedly know their wines. I think Koonunga/Maglieri shiraz and a few others sometimes around the $10 mark can often carry above their weight.
Regards
Luke
If you can remember what a wine is like the next day you didn't drink enough of it Peynaud
Michael McNally wrote:This is not a dig at you Rawshack but I am somewhat concerned about the prevalence of alcohol at kids parties. We had our fourth birthday party for my middle boy two weeks ago and when I cleaned up the next day I it struck me that we had been drinking (okay so no adult got "pissed" and a few were not drinking at all) at a little kids birthday party. Yes it was a late afternoon/evening affair - started at 4pm and last guests left at 9.30. The thing is I hadn't even really thought about whether that was appropriate or not before the fact.
I guess my defence would be that when we have daytime birthday parties it's a tea and coffee affair. Mind you I have been to daytime kiddie/toddler birthday parties where guests have felt it appropriate to be drinking rum & cola cans at 11am! Maybe I am getting old and turning into a conservative . Sorry about this stream of consciousness writing and the hijacking of your thread Rawshack (again this is not a dig - it just prompted me to ask a question that has been bubbling in my subconscious for a while).
I would appreciate others' thoughts, especially if you think I should have started a new thread .
Cheers
Michael
PS Bringing it back to wine, I am sipping or is that supping a Seppelt Victorian Shiraz 2005. Some violets and crushed flowers on the nose. Lovely acid backbone to this wine. Good dark/black fruit. Nice light pepper. Good length. Remarkable at eleven bucks and went extremely well with the barbequed belly ribs, home made fries, brocolli and zucchini.
Thank Michael - I've taken your advice and have blown my budget on 3 dozen bibles and a donation to the Gideon's
Thanks for the tips everyone. I've decided that I'm just going to pull out all the old crap that's lingering around my cellar (for the children) and those left standing later can tuck into some of Langoa Barton that I've been saving for this occaision....
. Sorry about this stream of consciousness writing and the hijacking of your thread Rawshack (again this is not a dig - it just prompted me to ask a question that has been bubbling in my subconscious for a while).
.
What was amazing was they did not even try the or look at the premium stuff at all 
!!!! There was Orlando Centenary hill just sitting there and no takers 
WOW So my suggestion is stick to every day stuff people know and you cant go wrong.....Most of all have a good time 
