Wine Drinkers of the World, Unite!

June 2, 2008

It’s been a while since I last wrote and I must apologize. To be perfectly honest I just had no inclination what so ever to write about my wine experiences in South America while I was on the road.

I will cover the wine highlights of my trip in subsequent posts but to before I do I’d like you to read the following quirky article I was sent by a good friend, fellow wine snob and author of Irreverence - Stephen.

Wine Drinkers of the World, Unite -You have nothing to lose but inflated bills and interrupted anecdotes.

by Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens is a British-American author, journalist and literary critic who is noted for his skill and acerbic wit as a polemicist and intellectual. In this article he tackles the etiquette (or lack thereof) of waiters when serving wine and demands that we as customers should unite and force the etiquette to change…as evidenced in this snippet from the article:

“Well, all it takes is a bit of resistance. Until relatively recently in Washington, it was the custom at diplomatic and Georgetown dinners for the hostess to invite the ladies to withdraw, leaving the men to port and cigars and high matters of state. And then one evening in the 1970s, at the British Embassy, the late Katharine Graham refused to get up and go. There was nobody who felt like making her, and within a day, the news was all over town. Within a very short time, everybody had abandoned the silly practice. I am perfectly well aware that there are many graver problems facing civilization, and many grosser violations of human rights being perpetrated as we speak. But this is something that we can all change at a stroke. Next time anyone offers to interrupt your conversation and assist in the digestion of your meal and the inflation of your check, be very polite but very firm and say that you would really rather not.”

Now in part I agree with his sentiment and have also had that uncomfortable feeling of being rushed through a decent bottle of wine and/or seen the last few drops being poured into the glass of someone at the table who just doesn’t deserve it! On the other hand I have also complained until blue in tha face at a lack of service and about how terrible service at restaurants can be.

So I guess we are looking for a happy medium - which is what?

Aaron Plamondon of the National Post retaliates with the following article which may provide some answers:

A Waiter’s Manifesto

My answer would be that the waiter does his/her best to suggests a good wine and then leaves the glutenous gannets of the table to fight it out amongst themselves for the last few drops.

Anecdote: I once took a fantastic bottle of vino to a dinner party and when looking for it on the table, I discovered that some ignorant lady had had it opened and was already 3/4 of the way through it, while the R20 cheap ass bottle she had brought was on my end of the table.

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