Words for the Wine Guy

Your article [“The Designated Wine Guy,” by David Shaw, April 20] described my Wine Guy experiences perfectly, with but one exception. I would never ask restaurant dinner guests to split the cost of the bottles I bring. And although it may have worked well, so far, for you to do so, I humbly suggest that you stop.

When you are dining out with friends or family, your bringing wine is first and foremost a gesture of goodwill. It is a gift and not just of your wine but also of your time, expertise and passion.

My experience is that our dinner companions acknowledge our gift by offering to pay a larger share of the bill or pick up the tip.

But if they don’t, we wine bringers still come out ahead because we come to dinner armed with that ancient elixir of good times and friendship and we leave with the knowledge that our bringing wine added a little something to those shared smiles, laughs and stories.

What a shame to diminish that pleasure by having to mention the price of the bottles, much less to have to ask to split the cost of those bottles.

Brien Miller

Palm Desert

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I want to say thank you for David Shaw’s wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable articles. I was so delighted by “His Dream Burger is Rare Indeed” [April 6] that I passed it on to my mother-in-law, who is a rare-burger connoisseur.

And “Same Wine, Next Year” [April 13] was a perfect marriage of wine and tradition. I look forward to his future work.

Andrea Watkins

Laguna Beach