Hello,

I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine, other than
it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are invited to someone's
house to dinner.

My older son is about to be married, and there is a dinner tommorrow evening
(Sunday). I will be meeting my son's future MIL. I would like to bring some
wine to the dinner, a nice, medium (well, no more than $40) priced wine. I am
sorry, I do not know what the menu is, which is kind of awkward. Is there
still a rule about red wine going with beef and white with fish and chicken or
is that passe now? At any rate, I would welcome any and all suggestions as to
what might make a good impression on this future MIL. I have heard she's a bit
"difficult" (wish me luck!!!!!!). Also, I would be getting this wine at
Kroger. They have a large selection, but I'm sure they don't have very obscure
brands.

PS, I personally like Rosemont Shiraz, but I don't know if it's appropriate, or
if a white wine is more popular. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WINE!! I would GREATLY
appreciate anyone's suggestions and/or advice. I need to know at least by 4pm
Saturday EST)

Thank you,

Sara

>'m from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine, other
>than
>it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are invited to someone's
>house to dinner.

etc.(rest of message snipped)

Sara

Your big problem is not knowing the menu. It's still a good rule to serve red
wine with red meat, and white wine with fish and chicken, although there are
exceptions. Generally, heavier meats with darker sauces take reds, and lighter
sauced white meats take white wines. That suggests that a rich gravy or sauce
may suggest a lighter red for chicken.

If you do not know the menu, I would suggest a good CA or OR Pinot Noir ($20 to
$30). This will work with a lot of meals, including salmon, lamb, and turkey,
and will be passable with beef tenderloin.

If the wine really turns out to be a bad match (eg if she serves shellfish or
spicy chili), your MIL can always hold it, and serve it at another occasion.
She should store it in a cool (70 deg or less), dark environment on its side.

Tom Schellberg

In ,
Sara > typed:

> I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about
wine,
> other than it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you
are
> invited to someone's house to dinner.


A bottle of wine is an appropriate gift, but I wouldn't go far as
to say it's customary. There are other appropriate gifts you
might bring.


> My older son is about to be married, and there is a dinner
tommorrow
> evening (Sunday). I will be meeting my son's future MIL. I
would
> like to bring some wine to the dinner, a nice, medium (well, no
more
> than $40) priced wine. I am sorry, I do not know what the menu
is,
> which is kind of awkward.


That certainly makes it harder, *if* you expect the wine you
bring to be served. But at many dinners, the wines have already
been selected, and the wine you bring won't be served (see the
other thread here "Etiquette for host receiving wine".


> Is there still a rule about red wine going
> with beef and white with fish and chicken or is that passe now?


It's not a matter if it being passe. Although it works in many
cases, it was never a very accurate rule. It greatly depends, for
example, on *what* fish it is, how it is prepared, how it is
sauced, etc. For example, I'm very fond of grilled tuna, which I
greatly prefer with red rather than white.


> At
> any rate, I would welcome any and all suggestions as to what
might
> make a good impression on this future MIL. I have heard she's
a bit
> "difficult" (wish me luck!!!!!!). Also, I would be getting
this wine
> at Kroger. They have a large selection, but I'm sure they
don't have
> very obscure brands.
>
> PS, I personally like Rosemont Shiraz, but I don't know if it's
> appropriate, or if a white wine is more popular. I KNOW
NOTHING
> ABOUT WINE!! I would GREATLY appreciate anyone's suggestions
and/or
> advice. I need to know at least by 4pm Saturday EST)


I don't anything about Kroger, but my recommendation would be to
go to a good wine store in your town, tell the owner or clerk
what your budget is, and ask for a recommendation for a decent
bottle of red wine. Whatever you bring, it may not be served, and
if a white is more appropriate for what the food is, the hosts
will almost certainly serve a white and save your wine for
another time.

Or bring flowers instead.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

(Sara) wrote in
:

> Hello,
>
> I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine,
> other than it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are
> invited to someone's house to dinner.


>
> PS, I personally like Rosemont Shiraz, but I don't know if it's
> appropriate, or if a white wine is more popular. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT
> WINE!! I would GREATLY appreciate anyone's suggestions and/or advice.
> I need to know at least by 4pm Saturday EST)
>
One pretty safe and yet good wine to go with is a Chianti Classico. It
goes well with a variety of dishes and works well on its own as well.
You will spend about $20 on such a bottle

As noted you will probably not see it served, but will be safe in
assuming that it will be appreciated regardless of the palate of the
recipient.

On 22 Nov 2003 05:07:05 GMT, (Sara) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine, other than
>it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are invited to someone's
>house to dinner.

A nice custom that should be encouraged!
>
>My older son is about to be married, and there is a dinner tommorrow evening
>(Sunday). I will be meeting my son's future MIL. I would like to bring some
>wine to the dinner, a nice, medium (well, no more than $40) priced wine. I am
>sorry, I do not know what the menu is, which is kind of awkward. Is there
>still a rule about red wine going with beef and white with fish and chicken or
>is that passe now? At any rate, I would welcome any and all suggestions as to
>what might make a good impression on this future MIL. I have heard she's a bit
>"difficult" (wish me luck!!!!!!). Also, I would be getting this wine at
>Kroger. They have a large selection, but I'm sure they don't have very obscure
>brands.

The red with red meat and white with fish is still a good basic, but
there are no hard and fast rules. More important is the fact that you
should not expect the wine to be served. If your host (future MIL or
anyone), is wine savvy, they probably already have an appropriate wine
chosen for their meal. You can expect them to thank you and put the
bottle aside. That is not an insult, an affront, or a statement that
they think your gift isn't good enough. If they do choose to serve
your wine, that's fine as well.

Might I suggest, that if you have a Kroger, you also probably have a
wine/liquor store available that will have a broader selection and
better quality of wine. If you are willing to go as high as $40, don't
spend it at a grocery store. Go a place that sells more than jug wines
and ask the clerk for a recommendation.

At $20-40 you can get a nice Pinot Noir, a beautiful Zinfandel (not
"white zin"), a quality bottle of Australian Shiraz, a wonderful
California Chardonnay, etc. etc. Talk to the clerk about what you like
or what you think your host would like. Follow the guide and stay
within your price range. Don't get talked up and don't be swayed by a
pretty lable.
>

Report back on what the outcome was.

"Sara" > skrev i en meddelelse
...
> Hello,
>
> I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine, other
than
> it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are invited to
someone's
> house to dinner.
>


Champagne is always good, even for MIL's.............

Anders

Anders wrote:

>
>"Sara" > skrev i en meddelelse
...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I'm from the anxiety-panic newsgroup, and I know nothing about wine, other
>than
>> it is customary to bring a bottle with you when you are invited to
>someone's
>> house to dinner.
>>
>
>
>Champagne is always good, even for MIL's.............
>
>Anders


Funny, I didn't read your post until after the dinner, but that's exactly what
I ended up doing. I bought a bottle of Moet de Chandon champagne. My future
DIL cooked the meal, it was chicken and pasta. Everyone seemed to enjoy the
champagne, I don't drink myself, I am on medication and cannot. But it was a
hit, whether I picked out the right thing or not.
Thank you all for your suggestions.

Sara