Gift Horse 3: 2011 Tyee Gewurztraminer

What if you are the person planning the party you say? How does all of this wine business stack up on the receiving end? If you are going to be putting together the shindig, you have to think about what kind of event it will be and plan accordingly. Serving food? You have either the option of doing your own pairings, or asking your guests to bring something. If you choose the latter, you also need to decide how much guidance to give. I had friends over for a small dinner party last week, and decided to delegate wine to my roommate. All I said was "citrusy white," which actually is more specific than a lot of people might be - most say "red" or "white" and leave it at that. It is appropriate to ask for a bit more (ie. varietal), but if you are going to really micromanage the selection, I recommend just getting the wine on your own.

If you ask someone to bring wine to a party, it is good form to open it and share. Of course, there might be a situation where the wine to person ratio is too great, and something goes unopened. That's OK, but if you are asking people to bring it, that is not a gift. That said, like I mentioned in Gift Horse 1, if someone shows up with a wine that was not requested, there is no obligation to open it. Why, you ask? Well think about it like this: what if someone showed up to your dinner party with a different cut of meat (or veggie main dish) than you were planning on serving? Do you change your plans and serve that? Probably not. It is OK to say "thank you," set the gift wine aside, and move on with your planned meal. I recommend sending a thank you note of some kind afterward. 

Recent pick: 2011 Tyee Gewurztraminer: Lots of tropical and local fruit and spice in this wine - pineapple, guava, mango, pear, and melon. All of this with a spiciness reminiscent of ginger and cardamom. The 2012 vintage of this wine is also excellent, and carries a lot of the same flavors. This wine is dry, and would be excellent with spicy foods, or just sipping on its own.