You’ve been invited to a wine and dinner party. There will be people to mingle with, wine to be drunk, and food to be eaten. Sounds like a fun evening out, right?
Maybe, maybe not.
The pressure is intense. One faux pas, one little slip-up, may be the difference between you getting lots more dinner invitations or heating up some ramen noodles while binging-watching Netflix in your pajamas next weekend.
Read on for the five worst wine mistakes you can make attending a wine and dinner party.
1. Expecting that a bottle of wine you gift to the host will be served at the party
Bringing a bottle of wine with you to a dinner party is great etiquette, and many people follow that rule and never show up empty-handed. The problem happens when people expect that the bottle of wine they bring will definitely be served.
It’s a gift, people. Treat it like that.
via NBC
2. Drinking a disproportionate amount of wine
I’m not really talking about getting drunk. (See the next point for info on that.) I’m talking more about seeing that there is only one bottle of a certain type of wine, and drinking 3-4 glasses of it so that no one else gets a chance to try it.
Share.
via Comedy Central
3. Getting drunk
Everyone has a drunk relative that provides the entertainment at every family party he attends. For me, it’s my Uncle John. He’s as sweet as can be, but he loves his wine, and he is guaranteed to have a few too many at every party – and tell a few too many family stories each time too.
If you’re at the point in life where you’re attending dinner parties, you’re past the point where it was cute to be a little too drunk at said parties. You’re leaving much less for others to enjoy, and let’s face it – most people who are tipsy (or just plain drunk) become know-it-alls that no one wants to have around.
Don’t be like Uncle John. Monitor how much you drink.
via NBC
4. Acting as though you are a sommelier
I was at a dinner party once where a guest insisted on swirling his drink around in his glass every time he sampled a new wine. He would swirl, then sniff, then lightly sip the wine. And then, he would tell everyone his self-described “expert” opinion of the wine they were about to drink. All I wanted to do is yell across the room, “You’re an accountant, not a sommelier!”
Remember you are not a sommelier.
via HBO
5. Bringing a wine that you have never tried
Look at it this way: only a fool would bring a food item to a party that was made from a recipe that they had never cooked before. You want to know if it works, if it’s seasoned correctly, if it looks pretty on a dish. Take it from me. I once made a new potato soup recipe for friends coming over for the first time. It’s potato soup, I thought. How can I mess this up? Let’s just say that you can. I did. My friends haven’t been over for dinner since, and that was two years ago. Coincidence?
Never serve something you haven’t tried.
via NBC
Don’t be intimidated by this list. It seems long, but it’s not complicated.
Before you go to your next party, take a quick look at this list and you’ll be able to avoid common faux pas and have an excellent experience. You got this!