Amsterdam in August
 

I think I asked this question earlier but I cannot find where I put the responses. We will be in Amsterdam for a party from 8/10 - 8/17 and what to buy our hosts a specific gift. A bottle of champagne with matching flutes. Could someone suggest the best place to purchase it. We are traveling from the US and really do not want to carry the gift on the plane, would rather purchase it in Amsterdam.

We are staying at the Amsterdam Marriott and will be using public transportation to get around the city

Thank you

<i>Amsterdam in August
Posted by: denmal on Jun 21, 16 at 6:00pm
We will be in Amsterdam for a party from 8/10 - 8/17 and what to buy our hosts a specific gift. A bottle of champagne with matching flutes. </i>

Champagne is problematic unless you are familiar with the taste preferences of your hosts. The traditional house gift in Holland is a bunch of flowers which you can buy just about anywhere. Flower sellers are ubiquitous and flowers are not expensive.

Near to the Marriott, on Overtoom is a Gall&Gall liquor store. The will have champagne and flutes. I think it will be a 10 to 15 minutes walk.

There are Gall&Gall stores all over Amsterdam by the way.

Bijenkorf department Store on the Dam square also has a nice slection of champagnes and flutes.

http://www.henribloem.nl/harts-wijnhandel

gall & gall is the albert heijn of vintners

for flutes: HEMA

TommieG - Thank you for your response....

Spaarne - the party is a 25 anniversary party and I have checked on the tastes with the couple's family but thank you for the information on the traditional gift.

http://www.tonovermars.nl/champagne.html

A wide selection, but not so easy to get to. You can get a bus 15, or tram 2 out to him. He may be able to deliver to your hotel, he does deliver in Amsterdam. His email address is on the site, so you could ask.

You could as at the hotel if they can recommend a slijterij. You will be able to buy flutes either at the slijter where you buy the champagne or at the Bijenkorf for something possibly of better quality than Hema offers.

They will be inundated with flowers. Stick with the champagne. Have a great time!

ttt

<i>menachem on Jun 22, 16 at 2:46pm
for flutes: HEMA</i>
Your Dutch humor is at the zenith. My salute.
To fill the HEMA flutes I would suggest Sprite. It looks like champagne.

<i>hetismij2 on Jun 22, 16 at 3:14pm
They will be inundated with flowers.</i>
True, so get there first. No flowers, no kiss, no pity.

The champagne may evoke a negative reaction, unspoken, from other guests. You may want to do this gifting in private. Also, bringing wine or booze to a private party is an American tradition, but often scorned in Europe. Your stuff is better than that of the host? That is the way it can be read.

In Haarlem there are at least two quality housewares stores with the latest and greatest in table and kitchen ware. I love them. There must be several in Amsterdam but I don't shop in Amsterdam, except at the P.G.C.Hajenius cigar shop. Ask your hotel concierge.

The Dutch are a peculiar people. I learned the hard way. But there is an excellent book that would be worth your time before you go. It is "The UnDutchables: an observation of the netherlands: its culture and its inhabitants" by Colin White and Laurie Boucke. Prior to your one week party, wow, that sounds great, this will give you a fighting chance of survival amongst the locals, the aforementioned menachem being a particularly crisp specimen.

spaarne, happy to make you smile ;) glad you took the bait.

http://www.hema.nl/winkel/koken-tafe...19-cl-(9434202)

:D

<i>menachem on Jun 24, 16 at 9:49am
http://www.hema.nl/winkel/koken-tafelen/tafelen/glazen/2-pak-champagneglazen-19-cl-(9434202)</i>

Do these glasses have the scratch in the bottom?

<Also, bringing wine or booze to a private party is an American tradition, but often scorned in Europe. Your stuff is better than that of the host? That is the way it can be read.>

REALLY?

The friends I visit in Europe (Switzerland) *always* bring wine to each others homes. You would never arrive empty handed!

If this is often scorned in Europe, I suspect it may be country-specific. It would take some paranoia to interpret someone bringing you a gift of wine as meaning theirs is better than yours, rather than it just being a hostess gift.

My best friend is German and she doesn't scorn it, she likes it if you bring wine as she likes wine a lot. It doesn't even mean that it must be used for the dinner as you often don't know the menu, but it's a replenishment sort of. Now I know my good friends wine tastes, usually, so I know what I bring will be used sometime, even if not at that dinner. But if it's a more casual dinner party, not sit-down, often a variety of wines for different guests is appreciated.

I would never bring people champagne as a gift, this may be a surprise to some, but a lot of people don't like it and don't drink it. It isn't wine, it's bubbly stuff and it isn't very versatile, either. Meaning you don't serve champagne with dinner.

But if you know for a fact they like champagne, I think it would be fine if you think they drink that at parties. The flutes sounds like overkill to me for a party gift, as if they are really cheap, it just doesn't seem like it will add to the gift. Buying expensive crystal flutes would cost a lot.

I'd go with the ideas of those in the know and take flowers or chocolates.

Spaarne.
You kidding ?
In Germany Belgium and france and Italy bringing a bottle is ALWAYS welcome.
The Dutch. ... I don't know. Are they really so peculiar ? Are they really like I say they are ? I doubt it.
I am pretty sure they like champagne.
As we all do. Don't we ?

Our neighbors and friends always bring a bottle of wine when they come for a visit or meal. We reciprocate also with a bottle when we visit friends and neighbors. Maybe I need to re-read "Why The Dutch Are Different."

spaarne: no, in the description they recommend drying them with a cotton towel (glazendoek) to enhance the "mousse". which works equally well.


seriously though, HEMA has always had designers of note, and does its annual design prize, just to get "new blood" in the door. Their collaboration on the "El Hema" concept a few years ago was the subject of parliamentary questions. I still have the t-shirt.

http://www.holland.com/global/touris...tch-design.htm

"The champagne may evoke a negative reaction, unspoken, from other guests. You may want to do this gifting in private. Also, bringing wine or booze to a private party is an American tradition, but often scorned in Europe. Your stuff is better than that of the host? That is the way it can be read."

I am Dutch myself and there is nothing wrong with bringing a bottle of wine or another drink to a party. A small gift for the host is Always apreciated. They probably won't open the bottle that evening though. And bubbly wines are more and more common over here. But most often it will be prosecco and not champagne. I myself would love it when someone would bring a bottle of nice champagne!

The book Undutchables is great!

I can also recommend Simon Schama's "The Embarrassment of Riches" as a reading of the Dutch psyche.