AIBU to expect visitors to bring a decent bottle of wine with them.

[Mushypeasandchipstogo]

We have had lots of friends and relatives over to stay and for dinner over Christmas. It is lovely to see them all but why do they always bring a totally crap bottle of New World wine with them?
I have in my kitchen 10 bottles of vile red and white wine. Should I pour it all down the sink, use it for cooking or give it back to them next time I visit? Any other options would be considered!

Villa Maria is a really good Sauvignon blanc
Lindemans is a good brand
Unless you are talking cheap Jacobs creek or worse pink "white" Zinfandel then I am afraid you are coming across as very ignorant OP
Either that or a wind up merchant cos you're talking rubbish
And I know quite a lot about wine
So there!

Oh this has to be a wind-up! Your friend brought New Zealand Marlborough Valley and you think that's cheap crap?! In my humble opinion, anything from the Marlborough Valley is sensational. And it's hardly cheap! My beloved Oyster Bay costs a tenner a bottle. You and your "oh I only drink French and Italian". What a snob! YABVU!

We had some really bad Rioja over Christmas and a really nice bottle of locally produced wine from a vineyard picked by my father (who really knew his stuff, belonged to the wine society and had a large cellar of very good indeed wine). Canadian wine, so I'm sure that would make the OP turn up her nose!

OP - snob who knows very little about wine.

I know bugger all about wine other than I don't like Australian wines (seem a bit too strong) I love Chilean wines (taste lovely) But I am an expert in pretty labels that match the kitchen. Frankly, I'm all about the right wine priorities

I think it's ridiculous to say that you only like French, Spanish and Italian wine. I highly doubt you've tried all the great wines that each wine-producing country's regions have to offer.

We have certain wines that we like but we are certainly not averse to trying new ones. Any that we get given that we don't like get relegated to the cooking wine cupboard.

When DH and I got married we have a huge debate over what to serve at our wedding, with many many tasting sessions at various wine merchants. We eventually went for Pimms as a welcome to the reception drink, with a really lovely sparkling white wine...FROM NZ! as our toasting wine. It beat several of the Champagnes hands down and many of our guests commented on it.

I think you sound like a bit of wine snob.

To me, and lots of others I'm sure, there is little difference between a quaffable for a fiver and a fifty pound bottle.

Just use the wine for cooking if it bothers you so much. Why don't you open these bottles and consume them with your guests with the meal anyway? That's what I do if guests bring wine.

This is why I dony buy wine for other people, it's such a personal thing

Op didn't say all new world wine was crap though on my reading just that her guests bought crap wine that was new world? Ranting about the merits of nz wine is not the point. I do a lot of hosting so definitely see where the op is coming from...

I am appalled you would even consider pouring it down the sink. If you really can't use it, why not pass it on?

Slinks off to have a glass of Ernest and Gallo "white" Zinfandel

I love wine from Chile - white (not chardonnay) or pink. I would probably bring something you'd hate bit luckily none of my friends are as snobby as you so I should be okay. If I get given red chardonnay I shove it in a casserole as I can't stand it even if it's an expensive one.

Haha yes I too choose pretty labels. So glad I'm not alone

Kerala you're right, she didn't say that in her opening post; it was her subsequent 'I'm a wine snob, therefore I only drink wine from France, Spain and Italy' that had made most of us realise she really hasn't got a clue about wine.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, just don't pretend to be something you're not.

Your lucky they brought anything. We had all of DH's family round on Christmas Eve, PIL, BIL1 and wife, SIL and husband brought nothing, BIL2 brought 2 bottles of red (DH and I don't even drink red wine) that his teacher wife was given with the charming words "we won't drink this crap"

Oh I missed that. Obviously never had frost pocket...

I have only read OP but I think you are being a bit unreasonable. Maybe like me they don't know much about wine or really like what they are giving you and would be mortified tocthink you're being unkind about their gift. Maybe they can't afford what you deem to be a good bottle of wine. Cook with it, donate it and next time they ask what they can bring suggest

• Nothing, it's fine - I'm inviting you for the pleasure of your company. Then if they insist suggest

A salt they like
An Olive oil or vinegar they like
Some chocolates to share
Some salty snacks
Dessert

I am not any kind of wine expert. But, I did get to do a few wine places whilst visiting Otago, NZ. Some were bloody lovely (some also were nicer after the first glasses ;-) ).
The travel company we went with are now doing wine tours there. It seems popular with actual wine fans (rather than scenery and cheese with a wine to go fans like me).

OP you are a knob, if my family or friends moaned about the carefully selected possibly new world wine I'd taken I think I'd de-friend them!!!

(Though as a wine snob maybe you'd be unimpressed with the award winning travel company we used as it's not been around for xdecades. Shame, as they're great, with a very personal service).

If I have a particularly delicious wine I take a picture so I can buy it again. I also like to try new wines if not too pricy but have a few core supermarket favourites that we enjoy.

The only time we have had a bad wine gift (if it's something we don't personally like there is always the bottle stall at the school fayre to donate to) was when fil brought a single cheap bottle of nasty pink cava to a big Christmas meal for 8 adults and persisted in calling it "champagne". Dh, sil, sil's dh and I were extremely snobby about that. It was funny though. It tasted like off lemonade and looked like dilute Vimto

Some of the worst wine I have had was expensive and I always drink the 5-7 pound range. Very general thinking. Dare you to try them...

I really want to know what they are though!

Iv not read the whole thread so I don't know if it's been mentioned but my top tip is

Let bottle of cheap red breath for a good couple of hours it can really help a lot of them (some obviously can't be saved!)

I love certain wines, normally varying between £4-7.99, i find anymore expensive, they normally resemble vinegar with a wine label Some people are just snobs, for example caviar is absolutely rank, but posh people eat it just because it's called caviar.

You are being a snob & you are quite lucky guests don't come empty handed. You don't have to like what guests bring, it is a kind gesture.

Post them to me if you like (the wine)

Eesh, I'm not a wine snob but my point about Chablis / Chardonnay was just that I think generalisations about wine aren't always sensible. I find it hard to believe there wouldn't be any New World wines that the OP would like!

Am I the only person on the planet who likes oaky Chardonnay?! The oakier the better for me! Though it has to be American oak, not french oak. YUM.