First Date Wines

[Greg_K]

For a fun topic, I’m curious to hear stories (The good, bad, and ugly) about wines you’ve bought or brought on a first date. I recently had what I thought was a promising first date and decided to bring a $300 bottle of 05 Alban Lorraine (100 points). My thought was, if this works out, what a great memory we can look back on in 5-10 years as our “first date” wine. Sadly, I knew within minutes of meeting her it was not a good match. I enjoyed the bottle nonetheless but now I’m rethinking my first date wine strategy. Haha. Let’s hear your stories…

Great topic!

I was just starting my career, had a little jingle in my pocket, and was slowly buying some Napa Cabs that the rags were rating highly. One of them was a Stag’s Leap that one of the critics had rated a 100, so I thought I had hit the big time. Cannot recall which Stag’s Leap vineyard it was. This was in 1993.

So I also met my hot neighbor, next building over. We “accidentally” bumped into each other at the mailboxes. Get all flirty on each other, decide to get together than night to watch Melrose Place. It was all that back then. And I didn’t waste time.

Brought over that Stag’s Leap. Was thinking I was all cool and shit, so sophisticated. She’s gonna be so impressed. Well, she didn’t drink red wine. Had like 2 crappy white wine glasses. And had no food. We made microwave popcorn, drank the wine, which I loved, but cannot recall if she drank much.

Fast forward, we are still married. She still doesn’t drink red wine. And still appears to remain unimpressed with me or my wine geeky-ness.

Wait, so this means all that Ovid actually is for you???

[Kris_Patten]

I’ve done it a few times, if a girl said she was interested in wine, but never with any kind of lecture and certainly never with any kind of thought as to what the score of the wine is. Usually it’s something that’s going to be interesting enough not to annoy a somm but not interesting to detract from the conversation during the date.

I think the last wine I brought to a first date was a 14 Chezeaux Suchots. It was a good wine, it was a mediocre date. I have no idea if it has a score.

No score? None at all.

Lame.

Spent 5 minutes thinking about how to take a swing at this beach ball … closed window and politely moved on.

[Neal.Mollen]

Fermentation was not well understood the last time I had a date.

[Bryce_K]

First date at a wine bar with a girl who is out of my league. I don’t remember what I ordered, but she ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc. My glass of wine showed up quickly, while we waited for hers to come. Minutes go by and she seems frustrated by the delay. I joke, “They must be crushing the grapes.” She laughs. That was almost 10 (?!) years ago, I still make bad dad jokes, but nowadays I have reason, with a two-year old and another on the way. I’m a lucky guy and thankful that I can still make her laugh.

[Arv_R]

For our 2nd date, my now wife invites me over and says she’ll cook dinner. I say fine, and I’ll bring a bottle of wine, grabbing a bottle of the 99 Pegau. Oh and J says ‘bring your dog over too’

So we toodle over and are drinking wine in the kitchen while I marvel at her polite cats (who don’t destroy glassware). I suddenly realize I haven’t seen the dog in a few min. We look around and the dog is wolfing down ‘tootsie rolls’ from a litter box in a back room, while we’re enjoying the rather barnyardy/merde Pegau.

Kind of stinky all around, but at least the Pegau funk blew off, and driving home I gave the dog a Listerine breath strip.

[Michael_S_Monie]

Rose Champagne. No need to spend a lot; Camille Saves will do.

[Dave_McIsaac]

My first date was when I was 16, so wine was not an option. I found my ideal match when I was 24, and it hasn’t really mattered what wine we have.

Well Duh!

Mad Dog 20/20…You wouldn’t even need to give a wine lecture. Just point to the label, and point out that it says “Wine of the Century”!

[A_Rubin_Stein]

I think it was actually a second date, at Bar Boulud. She likes wine and so I chose a place with a good wine program. Michael Jessen, who was managing director at Zachys wine auctions and a friend, is two tables away and I say hello. He sends over a glass of 1966 Chateau Palmer from the bottle on his table. I tried to explain that this was not staged.

[Philip_G]

My (now) wife and I have kept a few of the corks from significant wine bottles and mark the date on it.
First date was at an Italian restaurant, we had been messaging and talking on the phone for well over a month so had a pretty good rapport. She was more of an occasional white wine drinker at the time but has learned to love big reds. We had a Stag’s Leap Cabernet which was delicious. Turned into a 5 hour date with a stop at another nearby place that stayed open later where we had some Duckhorn Merlot.
Proposed a year later on top of Aspen Mountain where we had some Veuve Clicquot to celebrate and that night we had an Epoch Estate Blend. Epoch is still her favorite and our go to wine for our anniversary.

[Kirk.Grant]

On my 5th date with my now wife back in 2014, I invited her to my place for dinner and served braised short ribs with a 2009 Turley Hayne Zin. She was polite but clearly not impressed by the wine.

She mentioned that for her birthday earlier in the week, her parents cooked her dinner and her mom opened a bottle of “1961 Leoville something or other. I think it had a lion on a stone arch.”

I’m still trying to measure up to the in-laws.

But it sure sounds like you’re going to get to try some really great wines when you drink with them!

[Kirk.Grant]

My (now) wife and I have kept a few of the corks from significant wine bottles and mark the date on it.
First date was at an Italian restaurant, we had been messaging and talking on the phone for well over a month so had a pretty good rapport. She was more of an occasional white wine drinker at the time but has learned to love big reds. We had a Stag’s Leap Cabernet which was delicious. Turned into a 5 hour date with a stop at another nearby place that stayed open later where we had some Duckhorn Merlot.
Proposed a year later on top of Aspen Mountain where we had some Veuve Clicquot to celebrate and that night we had an Epoch Estate Blend. Epoch is still her favorite and our go to wine for our anniversary.

Phillip, what a cool story! I think it’s so nice to have those milestone wines to think back and remember those special moments together. Hopefully you can get a visit into Epoch after all the COVID-19/pandemic is under control. I bet that’s a story the folks at the winery would love to hear.
Similarly to your story I saved the empty bottles I opened around special milestones in our relationship. First wine together, first Champagne opened when she moved in, etc, etc. When we got married we bought these little lights on a string that we put inside them and used 3 bottles as the center piece on the tables. We had a small wedding, 22 people total, including us. I remember someone saying, “I can’t believe you saved all the wines from these occasions.” It felt like a nice touch, as many of the people there could remember things like 1st Thanksgiving together, The engagement, and other milestones.

[Philip_G]

Phillip, what a cool story! I think it’s so nice to have those milestone wines to think back and remember those special moments together. Hopefully you can get a visit into Epoch after all the COVID-19/pandemic is under control. I bet that’s a story the folks at the winery would love to hear.
Similarly to your story I saved the empty bottles I opened around special milestones in our relationship. First wine together, first Champagne opened when she moved in, etc, etc. When we got married we bought these little lights on a string that we put inside them and used 3 bottles as the center piece on the tables. We had a small wedding, 22 people total, including us. I remember someone saying, “I can’t believe you saved all the wines from these occasions.” It felt like a nice touch, as many of the people there could remember things like 1st Thanksgiving together, The engagement, and other milestones.

Kirk - great idea with the lights in the bottles! We had a somewhat similar wedding of about 100 people in an old historic barn. Her parents made napkin holders out of wine corks by drilling a hole through them and using a leather string. It was pretty much a Pinterest wedding

[Kirk.Grant]

Wow! That looks beautiful. I can’t imagine having 100 people at the wedding.

[Philip_G]

On my 5th date with my now wife back in 2014, I invited her to my place for dinner and served braised short ribs with a 2009 Turley Hayne Zin. She was polite but clearly not impressed by the wine.

She mentioned that for her birthday earlier in the week, her parents cooked her dinner and her mom opened a bottle of “1961 Leoville something or other. I think it had a lion on a stone arch.”

I’m still trying to measure up to the in-laws.

That’s funny. Reminds me of Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein: “Abby Someone…”

[Vladimir_Rahngel]

In the winter of 1997 I was dirt poor college student living in Bulgaria in a midst of an economic collapse of epic proportions.
At the time there are no ATMs, rarely any cellphones and everything is purchased with cash. I invited a girl which I really really liked to go out to dinner with me to celebrate my birthday. I need to mention that unlike in the US in Bulgaria you buy the drinks and food for people celebrating your birthday.
Trying to impress her I decided we should get a bottle (no recollection what it was but something cheap).
It was really fun night until the check comes and I realized I have less cash than I think I do. Later it turned out my idiot brother took money out of my wallet without telling me.
So now with no other way I have to ask her to help me pay the check.

We end up getting married ,so not as devastating as I thought it would be, but still probably the most embarrassing moment in my life