JiveVlog

What to pour

Is this a boozy housewarming, street party or a refined 50th anniversary celebration? For most occasions, you'll be looking for one type of white, red and fizz, and perhaps a rosé in warmer months. As a general rule, unless it’s a sit-down meal, think about serving light- to medium-bodied wines, avoiding anything too challenging or too high in alcohol. You might be a fan of that skin-contact pét-nat but this is not the time for quirky bottles; the focus should be on the event itself. For whites, keep it crisp and fresh or dry and aromatic, while reds that are light and bright or balanced and juicy are sure to go down well.

How much

With any luck, you’ll know your guests and their drinking habits well enough to gauge quantities, but for most parties, count on serving at least half a bottle (two regular or three small glasses) per person. A standard 75cl bottle will give just over four 175ml glasses or six small (125ml) ones. If you’re planning on fizz for a toast, you can get away with eight reasonable servings per bottle. You’ll also need to address the ratios, so in summer you’d have two bottles of white/rosé for every bottle of red. For a dinner party, you might want some sparkling wine on arrival, a white with the starter, red with the main and perhaps even a dessert wine.

Once you know how much you need, set yourself a budget for each type of wine. If you don’t want to spend more than £10 per bottle, and vintage claret is off the table, don’t despair – you can still find delicious wines such as tempranillo or a Chilean chardonnay within that price range.

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