Answering Christmas/New Year’s wine queries

My Thanksgiving column inspired many of you to write in with your Christmas and New Year’s Eve-related questions. Here are a few of the questions that came up the most:

Is it trashy to give my boss wine?

Assuming your boss imbibes, I think wine makes a great office gift. If the boss in question has an assistant, they can be an invaluable resource for figuring out the best type of wine, but if you’re in doubt, I always err on the side of bubbles. Many wine shops around the state will gladly wrap a bottle for you or sell you a gift bag to wrap on your own.

I love fine wine, but my family doesn’t. How can I make sure we have good wine without “wasting” a nice bottle on people who won’t appreciate it?

In situations like this, I like to have two wines on hand. One is an inexpensive crowd-pleaser that most anyone should be fine with. The second is the wine you actually want to drink. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling your guests that you’re opening a special bottle that you’ve been looking forward to trying and asking your guests to steer clear of it, especially if you’re the host. You might want to set it somewhere out of the way, just in case. At worst, you might have a few guests show interest, and you can offer to give them a sip, but most won’t care at all.

If I’m given a bottle of wine at a holiday party, should I open it then or save it for later?

I think either option is fine.

You can always ask the guest if they’d like you to serve it that evening or, if you recognize it as a bottle you’re sure to enjoy, simply say, “Thank you! This is going to be perfect with …” whatever future meal you might enjoy it with.

Do I have to stick to sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve, or can I serve other things?

If it’s your party, you can do whatever you want. As I’ve written before, I’m a big fan of punches when there’s a crowd, regardless of the occasion (maybe a sparkling wine punch?). For New Year’s Eve, since bubbles — Champagne especially — can be expensive, I often start the evening with a fun white wine before introducing the sparklers. I also always like to have a red to open after midnight before guests leave; something extra-special to close out the evening.