According to a recent poll, 21% of work Christmas parties in the UK will be alcohol-free - 2% more than last year. Taking a similar tone, Good Housekeeping magazine suggests that a bottle of wine is no longer the default gift when going to a friend’s house for dinner; olive oil would be a perfect alternative. As one young woman said when questioned by the BBC, this advice makes sense, given the occasions when nobody may be drinking (alcohol).
I can imagine readers of this column shaking their heads in dismay at the way human behaviour is changing, just as I did some years ago when visiting Canada and discovering how big a ‘thing’ sober-dating and alcohol-free Valentine’s Day encounters had become. But head-shaking isn’t going to achieve very much.
Besides, while there’s part of me that dislikes the puritanism behind banning booze from the annual get togethers around the photocopier and Christmas tree, there’s the other part that remembers the awfulness of some of the alcohol-turbo-charged events this has replaced. How many employees have been sufficiently over-lubricated to tell their bosses what they really thought of them? Or made totally unwelcome passes at colleagues after whom they’ve lusted all year?
And, as someone with more than enough wine in my house, I’ll readily admit to welcoming the gift of a bottle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar rather than the Rioja or Bordeaux I instinctively know has been speedily purchased in a store somewhere between my guest’s home and my own.
Wine gifting has never been simple. How much to spend to avoid looking like a show-off or a cheapskate? Which styles to choose?
Of course, no wine professional welcomes any kind of development that implies a reduction in sales. But office parties and gifting are not, and should never have been, a major part of wine distribution and consumption. Times and behaviour evolve, and we all have to accommodate the changes this implies. It is up to us to create other opportunities to give and share wine.
The views and opinions expressed in the Devil's Advocate pieces are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the publication. They are intended to provoke discussion and debate. If you would like to offer your own response to this or any other article, please email the editor-in-chief, Anja Zimmer at zimmer@meininger.de.
Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter. Be the first to know and never miss out on important updates.
