Tips for taking wine to parties

Undoubtedly, many of you are going to holiday parties these days. As a wine lover, you likely are going to wrap up a bottle of special vino as a host/hostess gift. There are some protocols to keep in mind when heading to a holiday dinner or party to ensure you avoid a faux pas. This is something I wrote about in the November issue of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles and want to share here.

If you are invited to a dinner party at the home of a wine lover, your host probably has selected specific wines to go with the meal. He or she might feel compelled to open the wine you brought, and this could cause hard feelings because you disrupted some careful planning.

To avoid problems, consider these guidelines:

-- Call ahead and see if your host has any special wines selected. If he or she does, wrap the bottle or put it in a gift bag. When you present it, say something like, "Here's a bottle for your cellar." Just be sure that wine isn't something special you really wanted to taste because you'll be out of luck.

-- If your host doesn't have something special planned or is not an aficionado, offer to help with the selection and even provide some of the wines. This will give you the opportunity to share some of your favorites and help others learn more about wine. You might even be able to lead an impromptu wine-appreciation class.