Only idiots take wine to a dinner party, says TV etiquette expert
...your hosts will keep the good stuff – and serve you cheap plonk
NEXT time you’re pondering whether to take a bottle of red or white to a dinner party, the simple answer is: don’t take any wine at all.
That, at least, is the advice of a television chef and etiquette expert, who insists guests should leave the hosts to decide on the drink.
In fact, Rosemary Shrager says anyone who does bring a bottle is an ‘idiot’.
The formidable grandmother, who schooled young women on etiquette in Ladette To Lady and appeared on I’m A Celebrity…, said: ‘Your host or hostess will have enough wine for dinner.
‘One thing you can guarantee is that they won’t open a bottle of wine that you’ve taken. Your wine is probably better than some of the wine you’ve been offered.’
Revealing that she is speaking from bitter experience, Mrs Shrager, 68, said: ‘I’ve come a cropper so many times when I’ve taken good wine and it’s never been opened. So I have now decided – never take a bottle of wine.
‘How many people go to a dinner party and take a bottle of wine? You’re idiots. Don’t even bother.’
She said the only exception was if a host specifically said ‘bring a bottle’ – then they would have an obligation to open it rather put it into the cellar or cupboard.
Guests who visit Mrs Shrager’s idyllic Sussex cottage need never worry that they’ll go thirsty. She said: ‘You would never go missing a single drink in my house. There’s so much booze that you don’t have to worry.’
Speaking about Christmas dinner party etiquette, she offered suggestions for other gifts for dinner guests to bring along.
She said: ‘Take a candle, a little bunch of flowers, some chocolates. But never a bottle of wine.’
The etiquette expert also gave advice on dealing with guests who may have had a little too much to drink during festivities.
She advised: ‘If someone is seriously getting a bit ill, one has to give them lots of water discreetly.
‘Do not let them get in a car, do not let them go anywhere. Put them on a sofa, if that’s what it takes.’
Mrs Shrager also set the rules for one particular festive tradition.
The etiquette expert explained: ‘Do not open your crackers until you’ve had the main course. If you do, everything gets everywhere. After you’ve had the main course you need a long rest.
‘And that’s when you open your crackers.’