When you're offered wine and don't want to serve it

We often receive wine as a gift at home and the question arises as to whether we should serve it or not.

Analysing the procedure with other gifts such as chocolates, which should be served with coffee, or flowers, which should be placed in a vase and visibly displayed, some people think that wines should also be served.

However, when planning the meal, we choose the wines in an attempt to harmonise flavours and the wines offered may not suit the menu. On the other hand, the quality of the wine offered may be inferior to what is planned to be served or the quantity offered may not be enough for all the guests.

So I think that when thanking people for the gift, without getting bogged down in explanations, we should say that we'll save the wine to enjoy together on a future occasion.

Manuel Pereira de Melo