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Overheard in the wine shop . . .

Fat Guy

By Fat Guy
in Wine

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

Posted
Posted

"Which is better, a Merlot or a Bordeaux?"

Heard any howlers lately?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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sashorter

sashorter

Posted
Posted
Which is better, a Merlot or a Bordeaux?

That question is about as meaningful as "what is the definition of barbecue?" :unsure:

--

Scott (who is Just Kidding)

I'm your only friend

I'm not your only friend

But I'm a little glowing friend

But really I'm not actually your friend

But I am

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"T"

"T"

Posted
Posted

Someone came in yesterday and asked for a cabernet sauvignon. So I showed her one from Chile, she then said " no, I want a white cabernet sauvignon". What do ya do.

slowfood/slowwine

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vengroff

vengroff

Posted
Posted

On a flight from Philly to Paris:

Flight Attendant: What would you like to drink with your dinner?

Me: What type of wine do you have?

Flight Attendant: We have two, a red one and a white one.

Not Air France, in case you were wondering.

Chief Scientist / Amateur Cook

MadVal, Seattle, WA

Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code

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Varmint

Varmint

Posted
Posted
On a flight from Philly to Paris:

Flight Attendant: What would you like to drink with your dinner?

Me: What type of wine do you have?

Flight Attendant: We have two, a red one and a white one.

Not Air France, in case you were wondering.

Although that's the answer that most of the passengers would have wanted. The typical response would have been, "What, no white zinfandel?"

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

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GordonCooks

GordonCooks

Posted
Posted

"Is it cheaper if you buy a case?" - the wine in question was a box of Franzia Blush

"They call it Port because the sailors put rum in wine to make it stronger"

"White Zinfandel, of course - who ever heard of RED zinfandel"

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Andre

Andre

Posted
Posted

There are many things said in a wine shop but the one thing I can not stand are silly arguments.

Some examples:

A lady tried to convince me there is actually a red Emerald Riesling.

I had a sparkling Australian wine returned because it said Pinot Noir on the label.

The top event:

A wine maker trying to convince in a wine tasting that the plastic cork is the ultimate thing.

Andre Suidan

I was taught to finish what I order.

Life taught me to order what I enjoy.

The art of living taught me to take my time and enjoy.

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Fat Guy

Fat Guy

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Since when is ignorance a forbidden category of humor? Ignorance is an endless source of laughs. But of course, once you start debating about whether or not something is funny, it becomes un-funny. Humor is a bit more existential than that.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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mcdowell

mcdowell

Posted
Posted (edited)
So why is that funny? It shows a lack of knowledge sure, but ignorance is not of itself amusing.

It's a type of 'elitist humor', making people feel better about where they are in life in some particular area by making fun of those who are ignorant or naive in that same area.

I work in technology, writing operating systems, and, brother, we can make fun of some people over ignorance. And we do.

But FG's right, once you start analyzing it, or even stop to realize that the people you're making fun of could well make fun of you in whatever area they know, it stops being funny.

Edited by mcdowell (log)
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Busboy

Busboy

Posted
Posted

I once worked with a very knowledgeable and very correct waiter in a swell French place. A customer asked for a "California Burgundy." He replied, "Burgundy, sir, is in France," and walked away.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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Nevan

Nevan

Posted
Posted

I always thought it was just a bad and tired joke from some dumb movie, but I really did last summer overhear two guys looking at wine bottles on the shelf and one said to the other "I really like that Mer Lot wine a lot." I swear to a diety! (ok, I know, not everyone is an oenophile, and it isn't nice to make fun of of the vinously-challenged, but these guys WERE in a wine shop, and I'm basically an elitist anyway . . . so I found it funny . . .if you don't find it funny, then don't laugh.)

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carswell

carswell

Posted
Posted
The top event:

A wine maker trying to convince in a wine tasting that the plastic cork is the ultimate thing.

Um. What's so funny about that? Unless, of course, you mean he should have said screw caps are the ultimate thing...

My top howler came from a still-wet-behind-the-ears SAQ (Quebec liquor board) clerk who answered the phone when I called to ask whether they had a certain California chardonnay in stock. He said he'd check. A few minutes later, he came back on the line and asked, "Chardonnay — that's a white, right?"

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Bux

Bux

Posted
Posted
"Which is better, a Merlot or a Bordeaux?"

So why is that funny? It shows a lack of knowledge sure, but ignorance is not of itself amusing.

Ignorance is not if itself amusing, but it becomes amusing when it's the basis for over reaching. It's always amusing when a novice seeks a quick answer, but it's funnier yet when he feigns some knowledge by dropping two names out of context.

I suppose "zinfandel" will be a part of too many "overheards." Here's my recent "overheard in a wine shop."

Customer: I'm looking for _ zinfandel. (Can't remember if he specified a brand.)

Salesman: They're over there. Go straight and make a left at the first rack.

Customer: (With a quizzical look on his face) Those are red wines there.

Salesman: (Short silence before a polite response.)

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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MatthewB

MatthewB

Posted
Posted

Overheard a couple of months ago . . .

Elderly woman (wandering up & down the French wine aisle)

Salesman: "Is there something you're looking for that I might help you find?"

Elderly woman (moves next to Salesman & lowers voice): "Yes. I'm looking for some Fat Bastard."

Salesman: "That's right over here."

Elderly woman giggles like a schoolgirl.

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Coop

Coop

Posted
Posted

I believe this is off topic, but the funniest winespeak I have ever heard was in a movie called The Great White Hope. Jamie Fox and Samuel L. Jackson had this on going discussion of thier pimped out rides, refering to the Mer Loo Bro-Ham (merlot brougham) with the petit syrah interior.

David Cooper

"I'm no friggin genius". Rob Dibble

http://www.starlinebyirion.com/

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britcook

britcook

Posted
Posted
Since when is ignorance a forbidden category of humor? Ignorance is an endless source of laughs. But of course, once you start debating about whether or not something is funny, it becomes un-funny. Humor is a bit more existential than that.

Ignorance is of course a great source of laughs, but is still not, of itself, funny. But I still don't see why this is such a howler. Now if it had been a Chablis and a Chardonnay, or a Fume Blanc and a Sauvignon Blanc I could have found some fun in it. Surely you're not thinking that a Merlot and a Bordeaux are the same thing? Or are we back to the Plotnicki concept of evaluating "better"?

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tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted
But I still don't see why this is such a howler. Now if it had been a Chablis and a Chardonnay, or a Fume Blanc and a Sauvignon Blanc I could have found some fun in it. Surely you're not thinking that a Merlot and a Bordeaux are the same thing? Or are we back to the Plotnicki concept of evaluating "better"?

i think the funny part was the "which is better" bit.

again, if it has to be explained, it might be time to move on. :wink:

tommy:eats.com
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cmvnapa

cmvnapa

Posted
Posted
Someone came in yesterday and asked for a cabernet sauvignon. So I showed her one from Chile, she then said " no, I want a white cabernet sauvignon". What do ya do.

Vichon Winery (there's an old name for you) actually had a White Cab at one time. It was pretty bad.

And then a great novelty, for one vintage only!,was "Le Petit Faux Pas" from Stags Leap (the Winiarski version) when some cellar rat mistakenly mixed some of their best Cab with some Chardonnay.

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