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!

You are not only BU but ignorant and a snob. There are lots of amazing new world wines and many cheap/nasty European wines. Sell the unwanted bottles and buy a book on wine. Read it.

Yep think I must be a wine snob as I only like French, Italian and Spanish

What a silly thing to say.

I like what I like and do not care whether it's from Spain, Chile or on offer in the supermarket. I think you are very rude. at least they brought something with them.

Glad you are not my friend. Any contribution is welcome, or none at all, in my house and I can't think of any of my friends who would feel differently. I want to see the people, not bothered what they bring with them!

Mushypeasandchipstogo - if you say that you only like French, Italian & Spanish then you are clearly not a wine snob - just ignorant!

My brother is a wine snob and turns his nose up at most French wines, considering them to be the province of maiden aunts

I tend to buy French, Spanish and Italian just coz I am more familiar with them and so know what i like - I need to be educated on NW wine! Not by NZ Sauvignon blanc though because

I'm also one of those rare people who prefers Chardonnay (oaked is fine!) can't stand cheap sauv blanc, would always prefer a cheap Chardonnay if in a pub with no choice - but perfectly happy with Sancerre. So the same as the Chardonnay hating Chablis drinkers!

We had some really good New World whites over Christmas. Most of our drinking wine comes from the Wine Society, DH buys in-bond. We had this case of NZ Sauvignon, absolutely delicious.

www.thewinesociety.com/shop/productdetail.aspx?section=pd&pl=WNZ&pd=NZ6991&pc=TERM&prl=&cc=WDRINK

just noticed that the producer of the Wine Society's lovely NZ SB we enjoyed is... Villa Maria!!!

Having done a wine tasting party with friends that involved a wide price range and some wine experts, it is fair to say that some of the cheaper new world wines beat the much more expensive traditional wines hands down.

It's all in the mind.

Bet the OP likes Bayliss and Harding.

I can't believe you are dissing NZ SB's especially Villa Maria. It's one of the best although there are few Marlborough SBs that aren't good. Oyster bay, cloudy bay, wairau cove, the reach, the ned

Only onsie found a bit hit and miss is Ara pathway which the last few we had tasted like crab sticks! Could be the way it's stored before we got it though.

I'm no wine expert but I know what I like.

You sound like wine knob

^they aren't they few that aren't good btw they are the ones I like

Mushy my love...if it is not good enough to put in your mouth it is not good enough to put in your food.

Unless you are a crap cook.

Wow, you're not wine snob. You sound very ignorant on the subject. And I say that as someone who knows quite a lot about wine!

This thread is clearly a wind-up.

I'm a Kiwi, and I have to admit, I don't love Sauvignon blanc. It's just too green-tasting for me. Unless it's a hot, hot summer's day, and you're sitting on a deck or a beach somewhere, I will avoid it. Villa Maria is fine, but there are much better examples out there.

Lucas - I love oaky Chardonnays, it's my white wine of choice! Yes, it is out of fashion right now, but it'll be back. Not a fan of Chablis, purely because I like my Chardonnays buttery.

I pretty much always avoid Old World wine - unless you're prpared to spend a lot of money, most of it is just bland. You get so much more bang for your buck from NW wines.

Where is the OP?!

OP you are funny! Hyacinth is it you? Come back and share your philosophy on Lifestyle with us. "How to eat and drink Mushy style" Come on, please, you know so much, it's only right to share.

You'd get a bottle of frosty jacks off me, me darlin

Nothing worse than an attempt at snobbery when you don't actually know what you're talking about.

To answer your question, OP, YANBU to expect friends to bring decent wine - the best they feel they can reasonably afford. However, you are being massively unreasonable to expect all your friends to know your exact preferences regarding wine, and even more unreasonable and ungrateful to dismiss their perfectly good wines as somehow inferior simply because they aren't to your personal taste.

Surely its about spending time with your visitors than what wine they do or dont bring with them.

This thread is bizarre. IME the New World wines are the most reliable in quality--they're what I'd always go for if I was buying for a gift. I've had some dodgy German, French, Italian and Spanish wine (and some good ones, too, but they are all a bit hit and miss), but I don't think I've ever had a Chilean or Ozzie wine that was unpleasant.

People always offload wine they wouldn't drink themselves, obviously- I take it back when I visit them!

I would consider the OP a wine bigot rather than a wine snob.