The menu is planned, and the invites are out; dinner is under control, but what about the wine?
How many bottles do you need? Will you be serving red and white? Do you need a pairing for every dish? Or every course? And what happens when half the table only drinks Sauvignon Blanc while the other half insists on red?
Thankfully, you probably don’t need as much variety as you suspect.
Unless you’re holding a formal wine dinner, you don’t need to find the perfect pairing for every mouthful. Your goal is to have enough wine by choosing bottles that work reasonably well with the food while giving your guests something they’ll enjoy.
So, here’s how we’d approach it.
How much wine do you need?
5
There are around five regular glasses of wine in a standard 750ml bottle.
So the exact number of bottles you need depends on the length of the dinner, how many guests are drinking, and whether you’re serving additional drinks.
½
The typical rule of thumb is to allow for half a bottle per drinking guest over the course of a few hours. If there are six wine drinkers, you need at least three bottles.
That being said, you can use your common sense, too.
If some of your guests are driving, are light drinkers, or you’re planning to serve beer, cocktails or other drinks throughout the evening, you may need less. However, if it’s a long dinner and wine is the primary beverage, you may want a little more.
It’s always wise to have a spare bottle or two in the cupboard, just in case.
Do you need a different wine for every course?
No, you don’t need to, but you can match a different wine to every course, especially if you’re holding a dedicated wine dinner and want to create an experience.
It’s not usually necessary for a casual dinner with friends.
Two or three well-chosen wines are generally plenty.
Versatility is wise, and starting with sparkling wine while everyone arrives before serving a white with the lighter dishes and a red with the main meal is a good way to mix it up. Not a fan of sparkling wine? Make sure you have white and red available throughout dinner. That being said, if you’re serving several dishes at once, try to find wine that will work across flavour profiles.
Dinner should be enjoyable; you shouldn’t need a spreadsheet to organise the drinks.
What if everyone likes something different?
That’s not unusual; it’s more common than a group of people agreeing on a bottle. If one person will only drink white while another refuses anything but red, there isn’t one wine to solve the conundrum. Opt for two or three options to cover preferences, whether it’s white, rosé, and red or sparkling, red, and white.
While pairing wines with food is fun, you can also think about the people in attendance. If you already know that most of your guests drink white, there’s no need to buy equal amounts of red.
Buy for the table you’re actually serving.
Start with the food
Forget about perfect pairings; knowing what you’re serving will help you narrow things down.
If you’re making seafood, lighter dishes, and many vegetable-based meals, a crisp white is a simple place to start.
If you’re serving rich meat dishes, fuller reds work well, while lighter reds are much more flexible across chicken, pork and dishes with a mix of flavours.
Spicy food tends to be trickier. High-alcohol, very tannic reds can enhance the heat of chillies; you may be better off with a fresh aromatic white, rosé, or sparkling wine.
If you’re planning a full spread of Singapore dishes, always opt for versatility over perfection.
Finding one wine that works well enough with four dishes is more useful than a wine that only works with one.
What should you serve when people arrive?
This is perhaps the simplest decision.
Sparkling wine is the most obvious option, and it doesn’t have to be reserved for birthdays, anniversaries, or New Year’s Eve.
Opening a sparkling bottle when people arrive feels celebratory, even if the celebration is simply that everyone was free for dinner at the same time.
With Singapore’s climate, a fresh white or rosé can work just as well. A refreshing wine that’s easy to drink is ideal for nibbles and chats while waiting for dinner.
How much should you spend?
There is no specific budget. It’s about your personal budget, the occasion, and how many bottles you need to buy.
You may prefer several good-value wines if you’re buying six bottles, rather than blowing most of the budget on one impressive label.
On the other hand, if you’re celebrating something special and there are only four of you, it might be exactly the time to open something you’ve been wanting to try.
Don’t be afraid to mix price points.
The wine you pour upon your guest’s arrival doesn’t need to cost the same as the bottle you selected for the main course.
Spend where it matters most to you.
Should you stick with labels everyone knows?
You certainly can.
A dinner party probably might not be the right time to serve six experimental wines to guests who reach for the same Chardonnay every week.
However, it is a good opportunity to introduce people to something new.
Start with one unfamiliar bottle alongside something more recognisable in style.
If your friends are Pinot Noir drinkers, you might choose a Pinot Noir from a region or producer they won’t recognise. They get the reassurance of a grape they know, and the fun of something new to discover.
You can even share a little about the producer when you open it. Just don’t turn dinner into a lecture, unless they enjoy that.
Don’t forget the practical stuff
Preparation can make all the difference.
Put white, rosé and sparkling wines in the fridge early enough to ensure a proper chill. The “room temperature” advice that comes with red wine was never written with a 30-degree tropical afternoon in mind. It’s perfectly acceptable in Singapore to store your bottles in a cool place shortly before serving.
It’s always a good idea to have water on the table and ensure there are non-alcoholic alternatives for non-drinking guests.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a different glass for every type of wine; a decent all-purpose wine glass will suffice.
Still have no idea what to buy?
Tell us about your dinner and let us point you in the right direction.
How many people are you expecting? What’s on your menu? Do your guests normally drink red, white or a bit of everything? Is it a casual evening with friends or are you celebrating something? Finally, provide a rough idea of what you would like to spend.
Don’t worry about providing a preferred wine region in France or three grape varieties; as long as you can provide the above, that’s more than enough to help us get it right.
