I was inspired to write today’s blog by the selection of wines at my parent’s home.  The really, really poor selection of wines. (No offense Mom and Dad!)  This is truly no fault of my parents, considering the fact that they rarely drink wine; although they both love a good bottle of bubbles!  Their house wine selection is almost 100% a product of the gifts that people have brought when visiting my parents home.  Let me begin by saying that my parents have retired to a beautiful home in an affluent neighborhood.  They and their friends can afford designer clothing, travel and fine food.  Why do people who splurge in other areas continue to drink cheap wine???  Do these people drink cheap wine at home too, or are they merely giving away the wine rejects from their own wine collection?

Anyway, we arrive for dinner last night and I realize that I forgot to bring wine. (unheard of!)  My parents, ever the optimists, suggest that I look around and pick anything I want – they have a lot of wine stored in various closets and cabinets throughout the house.  I begin my search in the kitchen pantry and find a bottle of Pinotage.  While South Africa makes many absolutely delicious wines, this varietal with its aromas of band-aids and burnt rubber, has never been one of my favorites.  (Warning: The South African’s are very proud of this varietal and take pride in proclaiming it the wine of South Africa – don’t ever criticize this wine to a friend from that country!)  Moving along, I head for the closet in the basement where several cases of wine are stored.  One whole case of Prosecco – I told you they like bubbles, and two “mixed” cases.  In the mixed cases a find a French Pinot Noir and my eyes light up!  Unfortunately, it is classified as a Vin de Pays, basically a mass-produced wine from anywhere in Southern France.  Other closet selections reveal a grocery store brand that I know retails for $4, a Chardonnay that is several years past its time and a few Chianti’s.  Wouldn’t be too bad except we are having tuna for dinner.  We finally settle on a California Cabernet with a label I recognize from the grocery store, but the vintage is current, and I have no other alternatives.  Surprisingly, the wine does pair with the tuna due to its fruitiness and lack of tannins.  Drinkable, yes; memorable, certainly not.

The lesson I would like readers to learn is this:  Don’t take wine you wouldn’t drink yourself as a gift to someone else.   Two other notes: Never give wine to a friend that know’s more about wine than you do – cocktail napkins, a nice piece of cheese, flowers are all nice little house gifts that are usually well appreciated.  Finally, don’t buy wine at the grocery store!  This is not a wine-snob comment, but a true piece of advice!  Most wines in the grocery stores come from huge wineries that make their wine in bulk.  They also have ridiculously high mark-ups.  My advice is to stop by your local wine shop – every town has a few.  Talk to the proprietor or wine sales person and let them know what you are looking for.  A typical conversation goes like this: 

 Wine store person, “Hello, can I help you find something?”

You, “Yes, I am looking for a wine to take to dinner at a friend’s house.”

Wine person, “Do you know what they are serving for dinner?”

You, “The host said that we were having grilled tuna and steak.”

Wine person,”Well that gives you a lot of options, but I would recommend a good bottle of Pinot Noir.  It pairs well with both fish and meats.”

You, “I really like Pinot Noir, that would be perfect.”

Store person, “How much would you like to spend?”

You, “About $15 to $20.” (Don’t be embarrassed about this part.  The store person asks because he or she does not want to make you uncomfortable by offering something that is above or below your price range.)

Store person, “Great!  Let me recommend this bottle of Sass Pinot Noir from Oregon.  It is on sale today for $18.99.  I can gift wrap it for you for free if you like.”

You, <sigh of relief>, “Yes, that would be wonderful.  Thanks for your help.”

See how easy and painless that was?  Your local wine shop will quickly become your new best friend.  And you will get invited back to a lot more dinner parties!