<p>This area of entertaining has always been a mystery to me as I didn’t grow up in a family that drank wine with meals, and for holidays they just got a bottle of whatever and served that. Now, so many people are wine drinkers and I am lost - and embarrassed.</p>
<p>So help me out please…what wine are you serving to your guests for the holidays? Do you have a go-to that is universally acceptable? A red?? A white??</p>
<p>Do you serve them room temp or cold?</p>
<p>Also, having ham for dinner but people will have something to drink before.</p>
<p>Don’t stress. You don’t have to get fancy. A “bottle of whatever” is generally OK. </p>
<p>Reds - Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz are all good choices and not expensive.
Whites - Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc are all good choices and not expensive. </p>
<p>These are all drier wines.</p>
<p>Serve reds at room temp, serve whites chilled.</p>
<p>We usually have one white and one red, as people have definite preferences. But only one of each color.</p>
<p>They can be very helpful at the wine stores, just be sure you are asking help from someone who appears to know what they are doing, and not from some 18-yo, lol. White with ham. A decent bottle will probably be $8- $18. What types of things will people be drinking in advance of dinner? Cocktails, other wines? Are they sophisticated drinkers or college students?</p>
<p>This is all “our crowd” ever serves. No one drinks the hard stuff anymore.</p>
<p>When we have guests, I just set up a little corner of my island with: </p>
<p>Several bottles of different wines
Some non-alcoholic alternatives (Pelligrino, soda)
Maybe some lime wedges, for the Pelligrino
Corkscrew
Wine glasses
Cocktail napkins</p>
<p>I love a sweeter white wine and always buy a Gewürztraminer and just buy it at the local grocery store for about $10. All the above are great suggestions. Yellow Tail Riesling is also a sweeter white wine and is good.</p>
<p>This time of year, reds are more commonly consumed than whites, though again there is no “rule” and anyone should drink what they like. Light, sweeter whites are usually summertime drinks. Reds are more common in cooler weather and iwth a robust meal, a heavier red (cab, zin, etc) might be indicated. That said, dont pick a wine that overpowers the meal. A pinot noir, a malbec (good and very reasonable) or Shiraz are fine too. Enjoy!</p>
<p>We make a quick run to the local Costco for some amazingly inexpensive St. Michelle wines and some nice Oregon pinots. We have a couple of choices of red wine (a blended one and a single-grape one, like syrah) and some whites (a sweeter one and a dry one), as well as plenty of Martinelli’s cider and sparkling water. Don’t forget some beers for the non-wine drinkers. Mixed drinks at a home party are too much work for the host, even if the guests try to make their own (clean up of the messes and the ware).</p>
<p>Reds are served room temp. Whites need to be chilled (but not frozen ). Relax and have a great party!</p>
<p>If this is baked ham with cloves, pineapple, etc., then I also suggest a Gewürztraminer or a Riesling. Sweet wines work well with salty, spicy, and/or sweet foods. The same applies to your side dishes. A Sauvignon Blanc would taste like metal filings if it is paired with candied yams.</p>
<p>For less formal events we do like VeryHappy, just set up a station with different wines and glasses. For our more formal meals, we start with light wines and gradually get darker. With appetizers we start with either a sparkling wine (prosecco, cremant, etc.) or a light white like chenin blanc. With dinner we try to choose based on the main dish, cabernet or Bourdeaux-style blends for “dark” foods, a flavorful white for “light” foods, and usually a light red for things in between. Go see the wine steward with your price range and menu options. We do have dessert wines on hand (Brian Carter Opulento!!!) along with brandy and cognac for after dinner but rarely serve them.</p>
<p>Red wine glasses have a shorter stem and a bigger bowl to hold the glass by the bowl, while white wine glasses have a long stem and smaller bowl to hold the glass by the stem and not warm the wine with your hand. Don’t worry about it too much if you don’t have both.</p>
<p>As always, guests preference dictates. Many of our friends head straight for the red wine when they walk in and don’t stop until they stagger away. Also, with so many good choices in WA, we rarely spend more than $15 for any bottle of wine. No need to break the bank.</p>
<p>If it’s a buffet like VeryHappy, I’ll have a mix of white and red in the $10-15 range. We might have a Riesling or Gewurztraminer because after five years in Germany we like them, but we’ll have the more standard stuff too - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio. For a sit down dinner we’ll choose the wine - generally white for fish, poultry and pork and red for lamb and beef, but those rules are by no means fixed in stone. Some people are allergic to the sulfites in red wine, so it’s nice to have both red and white on hand.</p>
<p>I really recommend going to a slightly upscale wine store tell them what you’ll be serving and see what they suggest for your price range. $15 will definitely get you something very drinkable, while $30 will get you something a little more interesting (but you might not like it as much). Many wine stores have weekend wine tastings and I suggest going to some and seeing what you like.</p>
<p>I’d be bummed to have only a sweet white available with dinner, so be sure to offer a dry one too. Most people prefer a dry white. I find a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir will be acceptable to most people and are safe choices. Some Reds are too full bodied, some Chardonnays too oaky, so I feel like it’s best to play it safe, if a little boring. And honestly, I’d stay away from anything at all sweet. Most won’t care for it, so why bother?</p>
<p>You need to know your guests. I have a couple of friends who insist on adding sugar to Manischewitz. But if I don’t know who likes what, I always get a dry and a slightly sweeter options.</p>
<p>Prosecco. Costco has Riando on sale for $7.99
A Chardonnay- Kendall Jackson or Chateau St Michelle about $10
Manage a Trois blend red- Kroger has on sale for $8:49</p>
<p>I suggest pinot Grigio or Sav Blanc for the white. Not too sweet, not too dry. It seems to me like everyone will drink white, but some people don’t drink red. I admit, I’m in the no red camp </p>
<p>Magnetron- isn’t the Opulento wonderful? We joined the BC wine club this year. The Opulento was in the tasting in November, but not in the package :(</p>
<p>If it’s fancy, appropriate glasses are great. For family and almost family, all-purpose glasses are just fine. I do like serving sparkling wine in the right glass as opposed to a normal glass. </p>
<p>Go to a wine store. Tell them what you are serving and how many people. Give them a reasonable by the bottle limit. ($15?). </p>
). Relax and have a great party!</p>
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