Party Planning Guide
Party Planning Guide
Use this handy guide to help calculate how much and what type of wine you’ll need for your event.
How Much
Cocktail Parties
- ½ bottle of wine/person for each 2-hour period.
- If your event begins before 5pm, or you are also serving liquor or beer:
½ bottle of wine/person per 3-hour period.
- If guests will serve themselves, add 10% to your estimate.
Dinner Events
- Plan on 1.5 glasses per course per person.
- Each 750ml bottle will provide five 5-oz. servings.
- For each course multiply
[# of guests] x [1.5] / 5 = # of bottles you will need per course.
Glassware
Cocktail Parties
- Less than 3 hours: 1.5 glasses per person.
- Over 3 hours: 2 glasses per person.
- Offer a red, white and sparkling (if appropriate) for guests.
Dinner Events
- For larger gatherings, rent glassware from a local party rentals shop.
- Arrange each place setting with separate red and white wine glasses, plus a water glass.
- For fine wine tastings, there is varietal-specific glassware available that will enhance each wine's specific character. Riedel is an excellent choice.
Choosing Wines
Cocktail Parties
Events before 5pm (or for outdoor events in warm weather):
70% white wine, 30% red wine
Events after 5pm:
40% white wine, 60% red wine
White Wine Choices:
- In general, Chardonnay is extremely popular, and also very versatile.
- On a warm day, you may also choose to serve a crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc.
- If you are serving spicy foods, Riesling is a perfect pairing.
- Fruity desserts and sweet appetizers such as Foie Gras pair wonderfully with white dessert wines such as our Late Harvest Chardonnay.
- Pinot Noir is the most versatile and an excellent red wine choice for warmer weather.
- Merlot is a popular crowd pleaser because of its chocolate flavors and soft finish.
- Zinfandel offers jammy fruit flavors that pair well with grilled foods.
- Full-bodied wines like Meritage Red, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are recommended for pairing with beef, lamb, other hearty main courses and dark chocolate desserts.
Dinner Events
- Pair the wine varietal with each course. See our Pairing Basics guide.
