Wine

Question

Hi, is this correct:I've organized a wine tasting. I was the one pouring (the) wine.Is it okay to leave out the definite article before wine?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

The verb tenses don't mesh.

I organized a wine tasting. I was the one pouring (the) wine.
or
I've organized a wine tasting. I'll be /I'm the one pouring (the) wine.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIs it okay

Yes, it is.

Note, however, that "I've organized a wine tasting" does not imply that the event has already taken place. Therefore, saying "I was ..." (past tense) is somewhat incompatible with your first sentence. It seems more natural that you would say "I will be the one pouring (the) wine".

CJ

cross-posted

Anonymous · Answer

Good catch, MM and CJ! Thank you! About the tenses. I missed it.

But I deduce from your posts that I can go either with no article or with the definite article. No means "some", the definite probably means "all the wine" that's there. Yes?

Mister Micawber · Answer

AnonymousBut I deduce from your posts that I can go either with no article or with the definite article.

Yes.

AnonymousNo means "some", the definite probably means "all the wine" that's there. Yes?

No. No article means any wine—you are the designated wine-pourer; 'the' indicates the wine at the tasting.

Anonymous · Answer

Mister Micawber AnonymousBut I deduce from your posts that I can go either with no article or with the definite article.Yes.AnonymousNo means "some", the definite probably means "all the wine" that's there. Yes?No. No article means any wine—you are the designated wine-pourer; 'the' indicates the wine at the tasting.

Okay, MM, thank you. Let's say I said:

"My son helped me at our tasting. I did not like the way he poured (the) wine."

Is it OK without the article?

Anonymous · Answer

I mean, my thinking is this:
"I came to a wine tasting, but I decided to help the organizer. I spent a good hour pouring wine!"

To me this means that I spent an hour pouring some of the wine. Not all the wine that was there, which "the" would suggest. Do you see what I mean?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Anonymous"My son helped me at our tasting. I did not like the way he poured (the) wine."

I would always put the article in that sentence.

Compare:
I would like to have my son help at the next wine tasting, but I don't like the way he pours ~~the~~ wine.

I would never put an article in that sentence.

Dave_anon · Answer

Hi

I think I see what you mean but, no, I don't think that 'the', in that position, means that you alone are responsible for pouring the wine

- I was pouring the wine - along with seven other waiters

In order to make 'the' mean that it was you alone, the 'the' has to define you ...

- I was the man pouring the wine

Dave

Xerxes · Answer

Anonymous I mean, my thinking is this:"I came to a wine tasting, but I decided to help the organizer. I spent a good hour pouring wine!"To me this means that I spent an hour pouring some of the wine. Not all the wine that was there, which "the" would suggest. Do you see what I mean?

With the exception of your "my son" sentence, I agree with this, contrary to what the other respondents said (with the exception of CJ, who has not yet taken a stand). Think of this way:
We went to a pub. There we drank beer. We also watched the bartender pour beer.

It's obvious that the beer in this example is at that particular pub and not somewhere else. But you drank some beer and the bartender poured some. Putting the definite article before beer suggests to me that you drank just about all the beer at the pub and the bartender served just about all of it. Probably a fun night, but an ugly next morning!
This goes for most of your sentences, though I'd put "the" before wine in the sentence where you're complaining about your son's wine-pouring skills.

Anonymous · Answer

You are all make my head spin with your different answer!

Wine

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