Some years ago, I used to work in the City of London...
...which meant that going out for a drink in the evening often ended up with me and my colleagues being surrounded by braying yahoos in pinstripe.

One evening, we unaccountably found ourselves in Skinker's wine bar near London Bridge, making a fair job of several bottles of Pinot. It was a reasonably busy evening for such a small place, with perhaps 50 people in the main bar area and nearby alcoves.

I like my wine. But I'm no connoiseur and I'm not a snob about it. I'll find something I like and stick with it for a while, then move on. I was thinking this very thing as my round approached and I pored over Skinker's wine list . And that's when the aged wooden door with the dirty panes of leaded glass opened.

In strode a man whose bearing said "Alpha Male" with every step. I expected him to lift the flap of his £1000 suit and spray the doorframe. He was closely followed by a mixed entourage, all of whom had the look of people who were drinking someone else's company Barclaycard.

Alpha quietened them, and announced loudly that he would - blindfolded - take a sip of any person's glass and proclaim not only the grape, but also the vinyard. If he was wrong, he would buy the challenger a bottle of what they were drinking. If he was correct, he would receive the same from them.

Surprisingly, there were a few takers. He applied the blindfold and a glass was handed to him. He raised it. He swilled it. He breathed it. He drank deeply.

"Ahh, he said. A Chateau de Fremulence Burgundy. Marvellous."

The gathering crowd clapped delightedly at this, and the vinter opened a fresh bottle, which was presented to his party.

The second glass;

"Ah - a saucy little Chateau Neuf du Pape from the vinyard of M. LeBeauregard!"

Again the debt was paid.

And then he raised the glass that a member of my group proferred to him. He sipped. He sputtered and spat everywhere and the blindfold flew off.

"My God! This is PISS!"

"Yes", I replied. "But whose?"
(Guizmeaux, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 18:51, 6 replies)

sounds like...
an excellent joke a colleague told me! Could he detect the asparagus per chance?
( the dalai farmer always likes tea, but especially on, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 20:20, closed)

Not going to click as it's an old joke,
but it was very well told.
( Bob Todd whee, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 21:29, closed)

Well, I hadn't heard it before
And I thought it was both a good joke and well told.
(clumsyeloquence is a girl, Tue 18 Dec 2007, 23:08, closed)

Please let this be on the popular page.

( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Tue 18 Dec 2007, 23:17, closed)

I know the joke..
But I don't care, and love it anyway!

*click*
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 19 Dec 2007, 12:52, closed)

Many thanks!
I hope you don't mind, but Bob Todd is correct - it wasn't original when I heard it from a friend about 20 years ago! - but I wanted to get some practice in scene-setting and pace and just added some "local" details to make it easier to picture in my head. There are some people here who are excellent at that and they brought on some envy.

I'm glad if you enjoyed it anyway and who knows; it might have happened somewhere...
(Guizmeaux, Wed 19 Dec 2007, 18:25, closed)