Dinner with the Boss (or the inlaws or the new neighbors…)
Alright, here’s the scenario: you’ve been invited to the boss’s house and you need to impress. And, if your boss is anything like mine, impressing ain’t easy. This is not just a matter of going into your local shop and grabbing the most expensive thing you can afford. They’ve lived the good life, they don’t need you to show them how to drink fancy wine. They can sniff out when cheap is trying to masquerade as classy a mile away. This is not the time to try and punch above your weight. They’ll ask you one question about why you picked the bottle and you be exposed for imposter you are.
That doesn’t mean you can’t win. It just means you need a different approach. There is more than
one way to impress and they don’t require a bottomless bank account. Here is how to have the
boss, their spouse and the kiddos eating out of your hand.
Approach 1: James Bond the hell out of that shit! In other words, get some intel! Bribe their admin. Do what you have to do. Just makes sure you attack this assignment like you do your job every day. Find out for dinner. Steak? Run, don’t walk to the Bordeaux section. Pasta? Go for a Sangiovese. Indian curry? Riesling (or Kingfisher beer) all the way. Figure out what the spouse loves! Sauv
Blancs? Go for a Loire! The point is, you need an advantage. Now’s the time to find it.
This way, you can walk into your local shop with a game plan! If that doesn’t work, proceed to approach 2!
Approach 2: If scoring valuable intelligence is not an option in this situation, than switch strategies and use this as a moment to shine the spotlight on you, so speak. Grab a bottle that means something to you. Maybe it was the wine you drank at your wedding or your most recent birthday. The wine you found “the one” while drinking. Get a story! The real secret about wine that no one ever teaches you is that wine is as good or as bad as the occasion is drank in. Not saying that Yellow Tail can become as good as a Yalumbra by nature of the moment, but wine can carry memories of the occasion and those memories can make an average wine takes stellar. And moments can be revived, recycled and made a new. So dig into the archives and bring a bottle that holds a special memory and then use that memory to start the conversation and the evening! And if you’re still at a loss. Move to approach 3!
Approach 3: The full proof game plan. Go with bubbles! Everyone loves bubbles. Even people who don’t drink bubbles love bubbles. Whether you drink it or not that evening, they will thank you for it. And contrary to popular sentiment, bubbles don’t have the break the bank. Champaign maybe, but the world of sparkling wine is vast. A good prosecco or cava will still leave you in the win column. Regardless of whatever direction you chose, do you research my friend. Take it seriously. Prepare. Ask the questions that will help you win and get invited back for dinner number 2. Happy hunting!