Alongside the food, wine is the star of any dinner party. It is versatile enough to pair with almost anything, and sometimes it ends up setting the theme for the whole evening. Which is exactly why choosing it can be difficult.
If you are not a wine person, you have probably stood in a shop staring at a wall of bottles with no idea where to start. Then you start wondering how many you need. By the time you have worked that out you are questioning why you offered to host at all.
No need. Here are five things that make the decision quick.
1. Map out the evening
Sounds odd, but start here. Work out how many people are actually drinking. Decide when the wine gets served, and whether you want something sparkling before you sit down. Then look at the menu, because the food is the real guide.
Follow the mood of the night. A casual evening in suits lower-alcohol wines, so people can have a few glasses. A proper sit-down dinner takes something with more weight to it.
2. Work out the numbers
The hardest part is knowing how many bottles to buy. You never know how much people will drink, and running out mid-evening is worse than having one left over.
The rule of thumb is one bottle per drinking guest, which is four to five glasses each. If you are adding something sparkling to start or a sweet wine at the end, one or two bottles total covers it.
Anything left open gets a cork back in and goes in the fridge. It will be fine the next day.
3. Pick the wine off the menu
This is where most people overthink it. Let the food decide.
Light Mediterranean cooking suits whites. Heavier, meaty dishes want reds. If there is a sauce involved, match the wine to the sauce rather than the protein: light sauce, light-bodied wine, and the other way round.
Sparkling works as an opener, but taste it first. Some of it fights with food. If your guests are not keen on Champagne or prosecco, a dry rosé does the same job.
There is also the old line about what grows together going together, and it holds up. Cooking Italian? A Tuscan red will not let you down. Cooking something with grilled meat and grip? That is where Vranec Luda Mara earns its place.
4. Think about pudding
Most people plan the start of the evening and forget the end. A sweet wine with dessert is what makes guests stay in their chairs another half hour.
One bottle is plenty, because these are usually higher in alcohol and poured small. Serve it before the coffee, not after. We do not currently carry a dessert wine, so this is one to pick up elsewhere.
5. If all else fails
Open what you actually like. There is nothing wrong with the tried and tested. If you love it, most of your guests will get on with it too.
Take your time over the choice when the occasion warrants it. For a relaxed evening, do not.
Two last things. Put water on the table alongside the wine. And give people a clean glass for each type you serve.
If you want somewhere to start, the cases are built for exactly this: a set of bottles that work across a menu, so you are not standing in a shop guessing. The full range is there too.