To want to drink nice drinks at a party if that’s what I take?

[TempleOfBloom]

We often socialise in groups at each other’s houses. I don’t like Prosecco, and always take Cremant or Cava, or if red something mid range and drinkable.

Then inevitably get poured repeat glasses of the cheapest available Prosecco or nasty mass produced generic red that others have brought.

Can I reasonably manage to open and drink bottles I enjoy, or should I cut my losses and also take cheaper bottles and glug it regardless? (I can do this, I just don’t really enjoy it, so drink a lot less, which is fine)

I’m not talking really expensive connoisseur type bottles that I take, just mid range drinkable.

If you don't want to drink what's open then you need to arrive with two bottles - one for the hosts and one you can open when you arrive.

Just breeze in, all smiles. "Hiiii! Is it ok if I pop this open now, while it's cold?!"

Cheap Prosecco should be banished to the land of chipolatas and processed cheese with pineapple.

Great idea!

Most people don’t know anything about wine. Or care…
I don’t either, but like you, know the slightly better stuff.
Must recommend the Graham Norton Vino Frizzante.

This.

It’s easy enough when it’s a decent-sized party to just keep topping up from your own bottle. Much harder when there are only half a dozen of you so drinking more “together”. I think the suggestions about saying you’ll stick to yours as you’ve had trouble with hangovers is a good one. But some people are just CFs and do it on purpose. With them, I just take cheap pinot grigio, which can be relied on not to be actively nasty, and cross my fingers.

Take a non-booze token gift for your host and use the line others have suggested about Prosecco giving you a headache (which is plausible - Prosecco is higher in sugar than wines made using the méthode champenoise, inc cava, crémant and champagne).

We have a winner! 😄

Do you have an open and honest relationship with your friends OP? Could you simply ask to drink the bottle you brought?

Can you not just go to the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of what you brought? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just do this if it’s an informal drinks party with people you are close friends with.

If it's the company of close friends I wouldn't worry about etiquette I'd just announce that I wasn't much of a prosecco fan and would be drinking X instead.

Same here! In my group of friends we might take a bottle for the host, but will also take stuff we want to drink ourselves.
Not that the host wouldn't offer a range, but some people are more particular like the OP.
Part of this is also due to some drinking a lot more than others though too in our friendship circle, so people like to bring extra 😂

We had a party over Christmas and people drank their own drinks as well as sharing a couple of jugs of cocktails that we had all contributed the ingredients for. I didn’t expect a gift from anyone, we all take it in turns to host parties and it’s always very informal.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

I agree. A lot of people on MN seem to live more formal lives.

I wouldn't turn up to a first meeting with potential in laws and be pernickety about the wine, but at a house party with my besties there's no standing on ceremony.

I really don’t like Prosecco, if I’m drinking fizz it’s Cava or champagne.

I’ll generally take 2 bottles and when the host asks what I’d like to drink I ask them to open what I’ve brought.

Of course this means that (when it’s champagne) some other guests will spot it and chug down their Prosecco to pour themselves a glass of champagne, but it is what it is. You can’t open a bottle and guard it to make sure nobody else drinks it, that’s student behaviour.

Take two. One for the host and one for you.

Just open it.

Exactly, I certainly wouldn’t ask permission to open a bottle I’d arrived with.

Depends on the custom in the group - often the host provides the drinks for the party, and the bottle you bring is a thank you gift for the host. In that case, it would be very rude to turn your nose up at what the host is providing and drink their gift instead!

I think you just have to accept the best of what's on offer OP unless the party is BYO.

I think you need to take a bottle for the host/house to say thanks and then your own, but it is incredibly difficult unless you know them to sit drinking from your own bottle and not offering it to others.

Sure why not. I always open what I brought with me and give an extra bottle to the host for them to either serve or keep.

I detest prosecco - it makes me feel rubbish. Take something that’s less similar so when you’re offered a glass of fizz just say oh I’m off it - it makes me ill, I’ve brought a bottle of red with me though don’t worry! Do you have a glass?

Get more classy friends 😉

I only drink Cremant or Champagne and that is what I take to parties. If it isn’t opened / offered I have a soft drink instead. Made an exception to this rule at a party before Xmas where I took Champagne, hostess put it into the fridge and served English sparkling wine. She was very keen on sharing that so I had a couple of glasses. Two-day migraine was the result. Never again.

Taking two bottles is the answer.

I would just say something like prosecco gives me awful acid indigestion/headaches, so I'm going to pour myself a glass of this if that's ok?