Sit at the table , drink your wine. Give them a mouthful when they return and tell them you want money to replace the wine.

Disrespectful. Whatever gave them the right to feel they could help themselves? Could you have written a note on an up-turned coaster that the wine has been left to 'breathe', and you were very nearby + told staff that you were wanting to reserve the table?

I don't quite understand society's fuss with fine wine, although social etiquette/peer pressure (the latter a term often only assigned to much younger people) has seen me tinkle glasses so as not to upset others.

Yes I know. Happens to me all the time with my friends and family, especially around Christmas times. I don't know if it's good manners but I usually end up drinking the wine in the end. Well, the half a glass that's left anyway. ...I always wonder where everyone goes?

Offer another glass to the hottest chick at the table. Shame for it to go to waste

FlySurfer said...
[br]......., that's a special 1997 Dominio de Pingus.

What do you do?

just checked what's that de penguins worth

ha ha ha ahaha

Google says that wine is $600-800 a bottle. Serves you right taking something that expensive to Sizzler.

Perhaps they were decanting it for you?

Some erroneously believe that merely uncorking a bottle of wine and allowing it to sit for a bit is all it takes to aerate. This method is futile, as there is simply not enough room (read: surface area) at the top of the bottle to permit adequate amounts of air to make contact with the wine. So what's a Wine Lover to do? You have two options: Decanter or Wine Glass...

myusernam said..
kinda your fault for leaving wine at the table. a lot of those do's have wine on the table or included. Also if you didn't have heaps of stuff on the table (bags coats etc) so that it looked occupied they may have just thought, bewdy this one has a wine already on it. not that I would do it, just saying. anyway, take the rest.

Agree

It was a Christmas do type thing, so I'd also have assumed a totally vacant table, with people still arriving and a bottle of wine on it, is ready for the taking.

Yeah well, what do you expect when you dine out at McDonalds.

Loose your **. Up turn the table, spray the wine over them and throw tantrum. When the security guards rush in, have your father cover you saying you are a Summervile/Minda/Arafmi patient, you are out on day pass, this happens occasionally, but everything is under control. Remember to video the event and post it on here !!

Don't worry about it, the wine was still there just in a glass...what's the issue?

My dad old man had a pretty amazing cellar of wines, when he passed away relatively suddenly, I meant to go around to the folks house and sort out the top wines from the good ones...took me a few months though.

What prompted me to get to it was dropping in one arvo to see mum enjoying a glass of wine (or 3) with her friends (mum knows nothing about wine) and seeing an empty 94 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, an 04 Giaconda Chardonnay and the red they had just cracked being a Hill of Grace (can't remember the year).

I just sat right down, poured myself a glass and said, I'll go pick up some steaks for tea, why don't you choose another bottle of red for the meal mum...

As a side note the steak went very well with the Armagh.

Moral of the story is wine, no matter how expensive or rare or incredible is meant to be drunk - it's the only way it ever realises its value. Just because someone else opened it and had a taste is not going to ruin it for you. Ask them if the liked it and let them know its a special wine, so you will take it back to your (new) table and share with your family. My guess is they would apologise, thank you for the taste and think what a nice bloke. Is that really a bad outcome?

FlySurfer said..

It's not a Christmas party, it's something similar, a set degustation menu from a famous chef... My Kitchen Rules final...
Don't forget the ladies hand bag was also left at the table.

And given that the bottle is 17yo it's quite possible the father had been saving it for that many years, and it represented something for a special occasion, it doesn't mean he's rich.

MKT final = special occasion?

ok said..

what did you do?

Change the channel to watch something decent?

Here's my similar story:

It's our wedding reception. We've provided the usual free meals and I think four or so hours of wines and beers. Everybody has had a really good time.

It's the end of the reception and everybody is leaving the venue. I am one of the last to leave when the staff pull me aside and explain that one of my guests has stolen a bottle of champagne from behind the bar. It was found with the cork broken off, still half in the bottle, and the bottle hidden behind a pot plant.

"No worries," I say. "I'll pay for it and we'll drink it upstairs."

"Ah, that's good of you sir. That comes to... $800." (or thereabouts)

"... say what?"

Someone in my party had pinched a bottle of '73 Cristal. They hadn't even popped the cork properly, but it was opened.

Nobody owned up to it but I eventually found out who it was. We've never received an apology. Haven't spoken since.

FlySurfer said..

the waiter say's sorry we don't have any wine like this, that's a special 1997 Dominio de Pingus.

Rails said..

You have two options: Decanter or Wine Glass...

Sounds the waiter was clued up with wines and maybe he poured it for you.

In my opinion though, reqardless of FlySurfers actions, it is poor form for the second group to arrive at the table having realised the mix up, not offer to leave.