When it comes to wine and how much you should have on hand at any given time, there’s really no right answer. However, there are some basic wine tips to follow to make sure you don’t run out and face the awkward “should someone make a run to the liquor store, or is anyone wanting to try some pear flavoured liqueur?” situation.
No matter your personal reference, you should have at least 3 bottles of white and red wine when hosting a small gathering of 6 to 8 people. I’m not saying you’ll drink all of them (especially if people drove!) But, It’s nice to have a couple of different options to offer. Don’t always assume that guests will bring a bottle as a gift, it’s always better to be over prepared than not.
**Helpful Wine Tip**
Whenever possible, OPEN and DRINK the bottle that guests do bring. They’ve gone to the effort of bringing it, it’s courteous and respectful to give it a try.
**Another Helpful Wine Tip**
If you don’t get around to opening their bottle, acknowledge it. While on their way out, apologize for not opening it and mention a time that you look forward to giving it a try. (i.e. “I can’t wait to try it with the roast lamb we’re having on Sunday.”)
Use your best judgement for larger functions. Some people might have hard liquor, some who drove might only have 1 glass. A general rule of thumb, 1 bottle = 4 generous servings.
Let’s talk emergency bottles. And I’m not talking about those days when you just want a drink (although that might be an emergency to some). I’m talking about when you’re outside and your neighbour comes over to say hi then your dog decides to take a chomp. Yeah, not cool. Hence, the need for an emergency/apology bottle of wine as a gift. Like I said, there’s no definitive number of bottles you should have on hand at any given time. But these are just a few ideas to keep in the back of your mind.
And finally, one of my favourite wine tips is to keep a bottle of white in the fridge at all times. You never know when someone might pop by for an impromptu Happy Hour. Or maybe you just really want a glass as soon as you get home from work 🙂 Happy Sipping!