Do you have a dinner party coming up and no idea which vintage to bring with you? If so read on, as this week the Ideal Wine Company explains how to choose what wine to bring to a dinner party.
Wine and dinner parties go hand in hand
Convention demands that when you’ve been invited to a dinner party you bring something with you as a thank you for your host. Beer is too cheap and low brow, Vodka is too reminiscent of those nights you spent at the local park when you were 17 and whiskey and brandy are too decadent.
Therefore most people choose to bring along a bottle of wine when they’re invited to attend a dinner party. Wine is luxurious, goes hand in hand with expertly prepared cuisine and is expensive enough not to make you look cheap.
Four tips for choosing what wine to bring to a dinner party
Yet there are so many wines out there; which do you choose? Which will make the right impression? Try these four tips to help you choose the right bottle of wine to bring the next time you’re invited to a dinner party…
- Pair with food: Dinner parties centre around the dishes the host has chosen to serve for dinner. It’s seen as incredibly bad form to bring a bottle which clashes with every dish served. Find out which dishes the host has decided to make so you can ensure you pick a wine that complements the flavours of at least one.
- Splash out: Whatever you do, don’t head down to Tesco and snag a bottle from their ‘special offer’ section the next time you’re invited to a dinner party. It’s the ultimate faux pas; it makes you look cheap. Show your appreciation for the effort the host has gone to by spending decent money on the wine you pick. You might, for example, want to bring a superb Bordeaux from the Ideal Wine Company.
- Use what you know to your advantage: You can’t exactly ask the host what to bring, that’s just awkward. However you know them. You know what they like. Use your knowledge to your advantage and pick a bottle that’ll go down well with the host the next time you attend a dinner party.
- Pick something you know: How can you expect other people to like a vintage that you don’t even know whether you like yourself? Pick a wine you’re already familiar with if you want to make sure you select a vintage that’ll go down a storm the next time you’re asked to attend a dinner party.
Think about what other people will enjoy
In other words there’s one trick that’s almost guaranteed to ensure that you’ll select the right wine to bring with you the next time you’re invited to attend a dinner party. Think about what other people will enjoy; do that and you won’t go far wrong.
