Bring a bottle of Prosecco. If you remember nothing else from this page: a cold bottle of Prosecco is the correct answer to almost every invitation, it costs under twenty dollars, and it works whether the host drinks or not, because somebody at that party does.
Lamarca Prosecco D.O.C. 750Ml at $16.47 is the one we keep deepest, so we can always fill the order.
By occasion
| Where you are going | Bring | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner at a friend's | Prosecco, or a crisp white | $15-20 |
| A party you were invited to late | Prosecco | $15-20 |
| Someone's first house | A reposado tequila | $25-35 |
| Your partner's parents | A named-region white | $18-25 |
| A cookout | A 1.75L of something mixable | $40-65 |
The three rules
Cold beats expensive. A chilled twelve-dollar bottle gets opened. A warm thirty-dollar bottle gets put in a cupboard and forgotten. If you did not plan ahead, ask us — we keep wine and Prosecco cold at the front.
Do not bring something that needs work. A cocktail kit means the host has to find a shaker, ice and citrus while they are cooking. A bottle needs a glass.
A named place beats a clever label. Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 750Ml says Marlborough on it, which tells the host something true about how it tastes. A bottle with a cartoon animal tells them nothing.
What not to bring
Anything that needs assembling. A cocktail kit, a bottle that needs a mixer you did not also bring, a case of something that needs chilling from room temperature. The host is cooking. Do not hand them a job.
Something you want to drink. If you bring a bottle hoping it gets opened tonight, that is not a gift, it is a request. Bring it anyway if you like, but do not sulk when it goes on the shelf.
The bottle you were given and did not want. People can tell. The dust on the shoulder gives it away.
How much to spend
Fifteen to twenty dollars is correct for a normal invitation and nobody thinks less of you for it. The number goes up for an occasion — a housewarming, a new job, a first proper dinner party — and it goes up when you know the host actually cares about wine, because then the bottle is a conversation rather than a formality.
It does not go up because you feel awkward. A thirty-dollar bottle does not undo arriving empty-handed the last three times.
Presentation, briefly
A bottle does not need wrapping. If you want it to look considered, a paper bottle bag costs almost nothing and we keep them at the counter — ask. Take the price sticker off. That is the entire etiquette.
If the host does not drink
Bring the Prosecco anyway and say it is for the table, or bring something with a use — good olive oil, a bag of proper coffee. Never make the gift a comment on what they drink.
If you are already late
We are on Peachtree Industrial in Doraville and we keep wine and Prosecco cold at the front of the shop for exactly this reason. Come in, say how many people and what sort of evening, and you will be out in three minutes with something that fits.
On our shelf right now
Prices and stock read from our own inventory when this page was built.
