It’s every host’s worst nightmare. Under catering and running out of wine mid-event is a major concern. But you also don’t want to overstock your bar and end up with cases of wine that no one drinks.
Fortunately, the solution is simple. There are some tricks of the trade that can help you to ensure you have the right amount of wine for your guests and that your event goes off without a hitch.
The typical wine serving and size of bottles
The first part of working out how much wine you need to bring in is understanding how much you get out of a bottle. A typical bottle of wine—red, white, rosé, and sparkling—is 750ml.
Next, you need to look at your wine glasses. The normal size for a serving of wine is 150 millilitres (ml), although some glasses can hold far more than that. This means it’s probably a good idea to measure out 150ml and see what it looks like in your glasses so that you can pour accordingly during your event.
With this math, you can see that one bottle of wine should give you 5 glasses. Now you can make the calculations based on how many people will be at the event, and how much each person is likely to drink.
The types of wines you need for different events
You get five types of wines:
1. Sparkling wine
You get two kinds of sparkling wines. One that has the bubbles added to it (sparkling) and one that becomes bubbly through the fermentation process (champagne or champagne-style). These wines can be red, white or rosé. They can also be a blend of different varietals.
It’s important to note that only those made in the French region of Champagne can use that name. When made outside of the region, winemakers use the champagne method but call the finished product something else. For example, in South Africa, it’s called Cap Classique and it’s made by Graham Beck, Kleine Zalze, Spier, and other prominent South African wine farms.
2. Fortified wine
This is usually a sweet wine that has an almost syrupy texture. Examples of this include sherry, port, marsala and Madeira. Sherry is a notable exception on the sweet taste, with many of the varietals being dry.
3. White wine
Your white wines are made using green grapes and the skins are removed before the wine is fermented. As with reds, you get several classic varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc.
4. Rosé
To make a rosé, red grapes are used, but the skins are removed very early on in the process. This gives the wine a pink or blush colour. These wines are usually similar to red wine flavours but are a lot more delicate.
5. Red wine
A red wine is made from darker grapes with black skins. It’s the skin that gives the wine its colour and adds to the taste. It’s also the skins that add to the wine’s antioxidant properties, making it beneficial to your health.
The classic red varietals include Merlot, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah (or Shiraz), and Chianti. You also get some very well-known and loved blends such as a Bordeaux or Bordeaux-style wine. Then, you get some exciting standalone wines, like the Meerlust Rubicon that is unique to the wine farm.
When to serve different wines
With so many different types of wines and each one having a different taste profile, it can be tricky to work out when you should serve different types of wine. Here are some examples:
Specific food pairings
Certain wines go really well with specific foods. If you’re throwing a dinner party, you could consider having several types of wine and serving a different glass with each course.
For example, white wines go better with lighter dishes such as salads, fish, and chicken. Red wines are better paired with heartier courses like steak, stews or pasta. Then, you can add a fortified wine to the menu to go with or after dessert.
Wine cocktails
A great way to serve wine with a twist is to have a wine cocktail for your guests. This makes a great welcome drink to a party or dinner. Adding champagne or sparkling wines to your cocktail will give it an exciting kick.
Celebration events
Speaking of champagne or sparkling wine, this is the perfect drink for a celebration or a toast. A round of sparkling wine is often handed out just before the toasts are done at a wedding reception or during the awards section of an event.
How to calculate consumption based on the event
Back to working out how much wine you need for your event. The amount will largely depend on what kind of event it is, as well as how many people attend. For example, a dinner party for 10 guests will need a lot less wine than a wedding or a birthday party for 50 or more guests.
So, you know that you can expect to get 5 glasses from 1 bottle. Then you can look at how many guests will be attending and how long the event is going to be. A sit-down dinner is likely to be shorter than the reception for a wedding. Therefore, you’ll need less wine for the dinner even if you have the same number of guests.
A healthy assumption is that each guest will have about 1 glass of wine per hour of the event. You can then work out how many guests and how many glasses per hour of your event. It’s always a good to have a few bottles in reserve just in case the party goes on longer or your guests drink a bit faster.
Don’t get caught short at your next party or event
Catering for an event is never easy. There are so many elements to take into account and contingencies to try and cover. With your wine, it’s always better to think things through logically and do some calculations. With the figures in this article, you should be able to get your bottle planning just right for your next party.