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Original poster

How much wine?

219 replies

WashAsDelicates · 04/04/2023 17:42

I'm hosting a dinner for 7 people aged between 16 and 60. One of the adults will contentedly make one glass last the whole evening. At the other extreme is the one who will drink every drink you give them. Both are generous hosts.

How many bottles of wine should I buy?

OP posts:
Bellie710 · 05/04/2023 21:59

It depends really if they are drinkers or not? I have different groups of friends, when one couple are round we could drink 8 bottles yet we have others that only have 1 or 2 glasses.

We always have wine and order from Laithwaites so have 2 or 3 boxes in the garage so never have this problem, definitely better to have too much than not enough in my opinion.

QueSyrahSyrah · 05/04/2023 22:05

@LaDamaDeElche No, once again, those suggesting larger numbers of bottles are appreciating that wine comes in 2 (3 if you count Rosé) distinct forms and that without knowing who will drink which you need enough of all of them to ensure you have adequate.

Of course it's likely that there'll be a mix of red and white drinkers, but it's not guaranteed. 3 white and 3 red will not cover 7 people all drinking white any which way you slice it. 6 white likely would, but any red drinkers and they're left high and dry.

There'll be leftovers of course, but wine famously keeps well if it's unopened.

poetryandwine · 05/04/2023 22:10

I am all for having enough wine, as I said earlier. But I’ve never understood the British preference for the 250 ml glass. In my home country that’s considered declasse. We have large glasses for certain types of wine but you only partly fill them to get the best aroma.

In a private setting what is the point of pouring out 250 ml at one time? Doesn’t that just encourage people to drink too much? Also you can’t drink as many different types of an evening.

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LaDamaDeElche · 05/04/2023 22:11

QueSyrahSyrah · 05/04/2023 22:05

@LaDamaDeElche No, once again, those suggesting larger numbers of bottles are appreciating that wine comes in 2 (3 if you count Rosé) distinct forms and that without knowing who will drink which you need enough of all of them to ensure you have adequate.

Of course it's likely that there'll be a mix of red and white drinkers, but it's not guaranteed. 3 white and 3 red will not cover 7 people all drinking white any which way you slice it. 6 white likely would, but any red drinkers and they're left high and dry.

There'll be leftovers of course, but wine famously keeps well if it's unopened.

Surely at a dinner party with 7 close friends you can just ask what they drink? Or serve wine which complements the food - red with red meat, white with seafood, champagne with aperitivo etc.

LaDamaDeElche · 05/04/2023 22:11

Also it's the norm that people bring a bottle themselves too.

LaDamaDeElche · 05/04/2023 22:17

poetryandwine · 05/04/2023 22:10

I am all for having enough wine, as I said earlier. But I’ve never understood the British preference for the 250 ml glass. In my home country that’s considered declasse. We have large glasses for certain types of wine but you only partly fill them to get the best aroma.

In a private setting what is the point of pouring out 250 ml at one time? Doesn’t that just encourage people to drink too much? Also you can’t drink as many different types of an evening.

The British preference for the 250ml glass is great when you're buying wine by the glass in a restaurant or pub. In many other areas of Europe you end up overpaying for wine by the glass. At your own house it's unlikely that you serve 250ml servings, same as you wouldn't in a restaurant when you buy a whole bottle.

eastegg · 05/04/2023 22:18

Duvetdweller · 04/04/2023 18:26

I’d buy 6 of everything (fizz, rose, red and white). You don’t know what everyone will be drinking.

This is turning into a sort of inverse of those famous competitive undereating threads.

I mean really? You would actually get in 24 bottles for a gathering of 7 people? Not a massive occasion, just dinner? An all day wedding with 7 guests maybe, but come on…

CountessWindyBottom · 05/04/2023 22:26

Number24Bus · 04/04/2023 17:46

IME several of them will bring a bottle with them? So if you buy two bottles there should be plenty. Unless you've told them not to bring wine?

I'm assuming this is a joke? I would never ever dream of opening a gift presented by a guest at the same dinner party.

CountessWindyBottom · 05/04/2023 22:35

To @WashAsDelicates , if you don't know anything about wine I am assuming you're going to throw out the two opened bottles that have been sitting on your counter for a month? Just want to clarify as they wouldn't even be good for cooking at this stage.

If you want to post your menu here and where you usually shop/what your budget is then we can help you if you like? If I was catering for 7 then I'd probably get about 4-5 bottles of fizz, 5-6 white and 4-5 red but it depends on menu etc. I'd also get some nice Italian lagers and maybe a limoncello or a fun little aperitivo. There are some reasonably priced wines out there and it may even be an idea to ask people beforehand what they like to drink. I personally hate any Chablis/Chardonnay or 'buttery'white wines so having an idea if there is a grape type that people positively detest then that could help you.

CraftyGin · 05/04/2023 22:39

Buy a couple of cases, and save what you don't drink. Sainsbury's has their 25% off six bottles at this time.

QueSyrahSyrah · 05/04/2023 22:43

@LaDamaDeElche Well yes, and it's been suggested numerous times that the OP ask in advance.

Serving wine by course is fine, but my preference is for red wine no matter the food (as uncultured as that may be) so I'd either just enjoy it less, or throw out the carefully laid plans by asking for red.

If I were hosting I'd rule out Rosé as I know none of my friends really drink it. I'd have both enough white and enough red for everyone.

poetryandwine · 05/04/2023 22:46

Thanks, @LaDamaDeElche On p 3-6 of this thread PPs are ‘chuckling’ at the thought of getting 4.5 glasses from a bottle, stating thar a bottle contains 3 glasses, etc. These comments appear to be in the context of pouring at home.

You have a good point about value for money when out, although I find 2 small glasses so much more pleasant than 1 large one that I would rather just pay for it.

ItIsMyName · 05/04/2023 23:06

I think I would go for 12 to be on the safe side. If you are in England, Asda has 25% off 6 bottles or more until the 9th of April.

Bleachmycloths · 05/04/2023 23:27

6 on the understanding that at least 3 of them will bring a bottle (I assume the 16 year old won’t). I have always reckoned 1 bottle per head at dinner parties.

Bleachmycloths · 05/04/2023 23:31

CountessWindyBottom · 05/04/2023 22:26

I'm assuming this is a joke? I would never ever dream of opening a gift presented by a guest at the same dinner party.

Show quote history

Lol. Omg I’d be so annoyed if my host didn’t open the wine I brought. I always make an effort to take at least one, sometimes two,of good wine. I see it as a contribution to the evening, not a gift for the host. I take a small separate gift (flowers, chocolates) for the host. Different perspectives I suppose 😊

Noodlehen · 05/04/2023 23:35

If you can afford to, buy the extra that others have suggested. You can always gift the spare bottles for birthdays etc if you’re not big wine drinkers.

Justbefair · 05/04/2023 23:43

5 of white and 5 of red, 3 prosecco, a bottle of vodka with soft drinks to go with it, plus whiskey and litre of shots? Just going by experience here we had a garden pub full of anything you could want but these were the main drinks, along with usual beer and cider of course. Whatever u don't use can be kept. Xx

ISpyCobraKai · 05/04/2023 23:48

One bottle.
You can each have a thimble full with your massive salad and bulked out chicken stew, and that'll be plenty until the Christmas sherry.

Original poster
WashAsDelicates · 06/04/2023 00:34

Bernardo1 · 05/04/2023 18:53

I'm puzzled by the notion of a household that buys wine per each meal!
Surely you have a virtual if not actual wine cellar, in which case it is largely irelevant how many bottles are required.
The consumption level is may be dependent on the guests mode of travel.

As to the etiquette re donated wine, if something expensive or special, obviously, the temptation is to keep for personal consumption, which may be in line with the donors expectation.

I have been given absolute crap wine in the past, which I took delight in opening and pouring for the donor "as you like it"

Yes, I have a cupboard with alcoholic drinks in it, but there is far more beer, cider, spirits and liquers in it than wine. We do not drink much, and a bottle of whisky or liquer can last us well over a year - often our guests drink more of it than we do. We are more likely to drink real ale than any other alcoholic drink. The wine in the cupboard is most like to be a bottle that a guest brought, that has lain forgotten at the back for a couple of years. Or the bottle won at a school fair last summer and that will be donated to the next school fair this coming summer.

OP posts:
sashh · 06/04/2023 06:09

How many courses are you serving?

I'd have

Champagne/Cava on arrival
Dry with with starter and fish
Red with the meat
pudding wine with the pud
port / spirits after or with coffee

Pip1402 · 06/04/2023 07:15

The 16 year old shouldn't be having more than half a bottle max. It sounds like you and your partner will be about the same? And you've said there's another person who will only drink a glass. So 2 bottles of wine is enough for that group of 4.

It then depends how much the other 3 drink and we don't know that so it's hard to advise.

I would buy 6 bottles so that's another 4 across those 3. If you have any left over you can give it as gifts. And if you run out towards the end you can offer a liquor.

x2boys · 06/04/2023 09:03

yogaretreat · 04/04/2023 18:19

Gosh I would have said 6 bottles max... Are people saying over 10 bottles of wine?! That's loads surely??

On mumsnet it's a whole years worth irl,not really just one a bottle / person over an entire evening

x2boys · 06/04/2023 09:06

ISpyCobraKai · 05/04/2023 23:48

One bottle.
You can each have a thimble full with your massive salad and bulked out chicken stew, and that'll be plenty until the Christmas sherry.

😂😂and don't forget that there will be plenty of chicken left over for the next month's worth of meals!

Sanch1 · 06/04/2023 09:15

We'd get two bottles per person and most of it would be gone! But we're big wine drinkers 😂

NicolaC17 · 06/04/2023 09:25

OP, I’m not a big drinker and don’t drink wine but would go for 5/6 bottles, assuming a couple will bring something so you would have a few more. Surely 2/3 glasses is plenty over a meal at someone’s house?!