5 BEST Tips for Serving Wine at a Party

When it comes to hosting and entertaining at home my #1 rule is to have the right mix of people with the right attitude. My second party rule is to have plenty of wine on hand!

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of wine tasting events, festivals, and Italian wine tours it’s that wine makes people the most friendly and happy people to be around!

Here are five simple but important tips for serving wine at a dinner party or a cocktail party. Whether you’re hosting a 4-course Italian themed dinner party with wine pairing, or a simple wine and cheese party, this guide will give you practical pointers to follow.

5 Basic Tips

I’ve included information about how much wine to have on hand so you don’t run out (party foul!). General guidelines on red and white wine and pairings, plus how to serve it for optimal taste.

This is not about becoming an expert or a Sommelier; it’s about having fun and being practical!

As you read the information below, think about ways to incorporate wine into your entertaining schedule. You could host a wine and chocolate tasting party to celebrate a birthday, or a simple wine and DIY sandwich bar for a casual luncheon or dinner.

1. How Much Wine Do You Need?

In short, make sure you have more wine than you think you’ll need. The key is to not run out of booze during a party.

Whether you’re serving a crowd or an intimate gathering, you want to make sure to have plenty of wine on hand. Usually 1 bottle for every 2 people is the rule. You should get about 5 glasses of wine per bottle.

I’ll be honest though. I like to play it safe and plan for 3/4 of a bottle per person if wine is the only alcohol drink being served. So if I have a party of 20, I like to have 15 bottles of wine.

That may sound like a lot, but remember you’ll probably be dividing that between white and red wines. Plus, you can always save the unopened bottles for another time.

Timeline

Also note, people will drink slower over a dinner party than they will at a cocktail party. But people typically drink about a 5-ounce serving over an hour. Here’s a timeline to keep in mind.

• Pre-dinner drinks = 1 per person.
• Wine with dinner = 1 or 2 per person, depending on courses.
• Wine with dessert and post-meal socializing = 1 or 2 per person.
• Wine & appetizers only party = 2 drinks per person the first hour, then 1 drink per hour after that.

2. Red or White?

Offer several varieties of red and white wine when entertaining at home. 

People have different tastes. Some like bold and dry, while others like light and sweet. Just for fun, see what your wine choice says about you.

White Wines

• Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are light, dry, and refreshing. Serve them very cold while they’re still young (don’t store it to be aged). They go well with flaky fish and appetizers.
• Medium-bodied and aromatic whites include Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Moscato. They go well with blue cheese, and spicy food like Asian or Indian dishes, or Thai cuisine. I love sipping them with these jerk seasoned chicken skewers.
• Chardonnay is a full-bodied wine and goes well with fish or poultry. It’s typically dryer and can range from bold and oaky, to crisp and fruity, to rich and buttery. Viognier is another full-body wine with fruity floral notes.
• Sparkling wine is universally loved for it’s effervescence and ranges from sweet (demi sec) to dry (brut or extra brut). Of course different countries make their own version including French Champagne, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, and German & Austrian Sekt. In my opinion it goes with everything, but is particularly good with a charcuterie board. Serve it ice cold from an ice bucket or straight from the fridge.

Red Wines

• Pinot Noir is lighter and more versatile, and is great with appetizers. It’s also known as the “Thanksgiving red wine” because it’s light and pairs well with turkey.
• Beaujolais (Gamay) is also light and dry and best when it’s sipped while it’s still young. Do not store this in your wine cellar for aging!
• For a medium-bodied red wine, Merlot, Barbera, Montepulciano, and Sangiovese are popular as they pair very well with a wide variety of foods.
• Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec are two of my favorite full-bodied reds. They’re bolder and go great with dinner. French Bordeaux is also excellent. Think about serving them with steak or a baked red sauce pasta.
• A Spanish Tempranillo is a delicious pairing for tapas, and is known for its spicy notes. Try a Petite Sirah with braised meat, barbecue, and meaty casseroles or pasta.
• For a red sparkling wine, look for Lambrusco and serve it cold. It ranges from dry to sweet and tastes great in sangria, too!

Rosé

Refreshing Rosé has become quite popular in the last decade, and there’s something for everyone. They’re made with both red and white grapes, and range in taste from dry to sweet, and color from light pink to deep pink.

Anything from the French Provence region or Rhône Valley is a good and safe choice, although I’ve also had some Austrian Rosé that was exceptional. It’s great with appetizers or simply sipping on its own. Serve it very chilled.

Learn more with these 8 Rosé wine fun facts.

3. How to Serve Wine

Follow the 20-minute Rule for proper temperature.

You know that harsh taste you get when you sip a glass of ice cold Chardonnay, or room temperature Cabernet? Yeah, it’s because it’s TOO COLD or TOO WARM respectively. Just follow the 20-Minute Rule to remedy that.

• Serving at the proper temperature really does effect the taste and enjoyment of the wine. I think the rule of “serving red wine at room temperature” was started when room temperature was much colder. Nowadays it’s about 70 degrees which is too warm for red wine.
• Optimal temperature for most reds is between 62 and 68 degrees. To achieve this all you have to do is place red wine in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving. We store our reds at 55 degrees in our wine fridge, so as it’s removed and served it will warm up to the 62-68 degrees that’s desirable. See a list of some of my favorite red wine for entertaining.
• White wine served right out of the refrigerator is too cold for many (but not all) varieties. The optimal serving temperature is 49 to 55 degrees. To achieve this temperature let white wine sit outside the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving.
• Of course there’s always an exception to the rule. In this case it’s the light-bodied whites, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. They’re great ice cold, as is sparkling wine! Also, sweeter wine and Rosé taste better served very chilled.

4. Let Wine Breath.

Letting wine breathe is another “trick” that greatly effects the taste. It simply means it should be allowed to blend with air for a time. Here are 3 ways to do that.

• If you have time, open your bottle and let it breathe for about an hour. Some experts say to let it breathe all day long!
• Or, pour it into a wine decanter which is made specifically to allow more air to reach the wine.
• Since I don’t usually have that much time I love to use an aerator which adds air to the wine as you pour it through into your glass. I taste the biggest difference in red wine like Cabernet when I use it.

5. Swirl, Baby Swirl!

When it comes to wine glasses, a larger ‘bowl’ with a smaller rim lets you swirl your wine within the glass to let even more air penetrate it. Fill glass to the widest part of the curve. That way you have room to swirl and the wine can breathe.

Using the right glassware can significantly affect the taste of your wine. This is especially true for red wine.

When I was on my press trip to the Washington vineyards, the experts were ALL about the swirl!

More Wine Tips

• Did you know you can freeze an opened bottle for later? It’s not recommended for very high quality or priced wine. Nor should you ever freeze an unopened bottle because the water content will expand and can explode. Read more about freezing an opened bottle of wine here.
• Food and wine from the same region is always a good pairing.
• Sparkling wine is great with charcuterie as the bubbles help cleanse the palate from the fat and oils.
• Serve light wine with light food dishes. More robust wines stand up to heavier dishes.
• Balance spicy dishes with a sweeter wine like Riesling.
• Typically white wine goes with poultry and fish, however Pinot Noir is a light red that goes well with turkey at Thanksgiving.
• Red wine is best with red meat like beef and lamb. It’s also traditionally paired with meat sauce pasta and pizza.

Now that you know a few basic tips about serving wine, are you ready to host a party or tasting at home?