For many of us bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner party is second nature - but should we embrace the trend of gifting non-alcoholic gifts?
A report from Waitrose has found that more consumers are making moves to ditch the bottle of wine in hand and arrive at dinner parties with premium food items in hand.
The supermarket's 2023/24 Food and Drink report indicates that demand for extra virgin olive oil has grown by 15%, while sales of Cornish salt flakes are up by 79% this year.
House & Garden Magazine, meanwhile, said a premium bottle of olive oil is the "new wine".
On The Pat Kenny Show, TV presenter and hotelier Noel Cunningham said these reports show that we are becoming "more sophisticated" in our gifting habits.
"There is a greater variety out there and I'm glad to report that young people now are veering ever so slightly away from that alcohol option," Mr Cunningham said.
“People are taking a little bit more care in their choice because they know the people they are gifting to and they’re making that little bit of effort to give them something that is practical."
Mr Cunningham said it is "extremely pretentious" to arrive with a bottle of wine and expect your hosts to serve it.
Woman buying a bottle of red wine and looking at alcoholic drinks in shop, Alamy"[The host] chooses the wine - they will have the red open half an hour before the guests arrive to breathe and get to room temperature and they will have the white wine chilled," he said.
"That's the correct way to do it - it is unacceptable to expect the host to open your bottle of wine."
If you do want to bring wine to a dinner party, Mr Cunningham recommends checking with the host first to ensure the wine goes with the food they plan to serve.
On Lunchtime Live, The Designed Table founder Tara O'Connor said it is important to consider your host's tastes before bringing a bottle of wine.
"Know your host - if your host doesn't drink, don't bring wine," she said.
Ms O'Connor said she is not "entirely sold" on the idea of bringing premium olive oil either.
"We all have bottles of olive oil - I consider that a lame gift," she said.
"I think step outside the box - I would bring the host flowers the day before or two days before."
Ms O'Connor said her go-to gift is a bottle of Champagne, but urged dinner guests to always gift something they themselves would like to receive.
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Feature image: Red and white wine bottles lined up in a row in October 2011, Alamy Stock Photo
