Whether it's the company holiday party, or any other bash, somebody has the wine-buying duty. If you're on the hook to buy the wine, here's a guide to help you put smiles on guests faces and keep dollars in your pocket.
A Wine Buying Guide For Party Planners
Whether it's the company holiday party, or any other bash, somebody has the wine-buying duty. If you're on the hook to buy the wine, you need to get the right styles with enough quantity to keep everyone happy. So here's a guide to help you put smiles on guests faces and keep dollars in your pocket.
First figure quantities. On average, you need 2 glasses (half a standard bottle) per person. Make sure you base that on the number of actual drinkers: subtract out kids and anyone who's drinking beer, spirits, or non-alcoholic beverages.
Now tweak that number according to the type of event. For a 4pm company party held in the conference room, or something that only lasts for an hour or two, you can usually buy a little less. On the other hand, for big family dinners, weddings, and other events that can last hours, it's best to estimate a bottle per person. Don't forget that you can always return the extra bottles.
Fortunately, you're probably going to be buying in case quantities, which means a 10% discount in many retail shops. And that applies to mixed cases, too – so reach that threshold of 12 bottles. You should also consider magnums (double bottles) and boxed wine, too. Brands like Black Box and Target's Wine Cube are respectable wines, and buying in those formats saves you a lot of money.
Plan on no less than 3 kinds of wine, but no more than 5. Always have one middle-of-the-road white (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio), one middle-of-the-road red (Merlot, Malbec, or Pinot Noir) and one with some sweetness (White Zinfandel or medium-sweet Riesling). If it's a big crowd or you have a diverse food menu, then get an extra white, an extra red, or both. Make the second red a bigger, bolder option – Shiraz, Cabernet, or red Zinfandel. Assess your crowd and the menu, and split up your total purchase among the different types accordingly.
For an office happy hour held on a Thursday, with 12 people attending, get 6 bottles: two White Zinfandel, two Pinot Grigio, and two Merlot. If this is a monthly or quarterly event, convince the boss to buy cases and store them under lock and key somewhere. That saves both money and time.
Now consider a family holiday party, including gift exchanges, dinner, a backyard snowball fight, and some poker with the second round of pie; with 18 wine-drinkers. Since this is an all-day event I'll buy 15 to 18 bottles. There are just a few who like the sweet stuff, so that's 2 bottles of Riesling – I'd get a magnum, but I'm worried it will sit out and get warm too quickly.
For whites, I'll buy a medium-bodied Chardonnay. Since most of my family are red-wine drinkers, two magnums of Chardonnay will work: open one before dinner, and the other with dinner. Since we have both turkey and prime rib, I'll find two different reds – a Pinot Noir for the bird and a Cabernet or Cab blend for the beef. I'll pick up a 3-liter box of Cab (the equivalent of 4 bottles) and 5 standard bottles of Pinot Noir; unfortunately there are few good options for large-format Pinot. Do the math, and that's 15 bottles. Make sure to slip a corkscrew in your pocket and lay in a good supply of glasses, refrigerate the whites in advance, and you're done!
Cheers!
