Choosing that Perfect Wine for a Dinner Party

So, you find yourself having been invited to a dinner party and decided to bring the host a bottle of wine. But which type of wine should you buy? I am sure you have seen people seemingly bewildered in front of the wine shelves at the local grocery or liquor store. You have seen them, staring dumbly with no idea what wine to pick out. After you read this article, you can be assured you will never be one of those people.

Choosing a wine can be a tricky decision. You want your selection to please as many people as possible including your host. If you know ahead what is on the menu, the choice becomes easier. The general guidelines are as follows:

- Light-bodied wines complement light food.

- Full-bodied wines are needed when pairing with hearty food.

However, in the situation where you do not know the menu, it is ok as there are a few other key items to consider.

Host Preference

It is very important to consider the host. If you know the host well, you may want to select a bottle that suits his or her individual preferences. If you're less familiar with your host's favorites, select a popular wine variety such as Chardonnay or Merlot.

You can further customize the choice by selecting a wine that matches the recipient?s personality or intended usage. Are they more likely to open the bottle soon or age it in their cellar? Will they savor it during an everyday dinner or bring it out to impress friends? Do they have a fondness towards a particular wine or growing region?

Price Considerations

Of course all decisions must be balanced with respect to its price. In the situation of having a budget of $25 and above, your selections choices are wide open. A favorite of mine and a crowd pleaser is a Cabernet, a well rounded and highly excepted classic.

Ok, now let's take a look at the $15 to $25 budget range. My suggestion here is that you just stick with a traditional Chardonnay or Merlot. They are both widely appreciated and just a bit less costly than Cabernets.

Even at $15 and under there are some really enjoyable choices. For $10 you can get Veramonte Cabnernet Sauvignon from the Casablanca Valley, located in Chile. Another great selection is the Australian Shiraz or the Sauvignon Blancs, both of which may pleasantly surprise the recipient.

Contributor: Stuart Glasure [A wine enthusiast and publishing member of the wine source: http://www.WineDefinitions.com.]

In The News:

Remarkable aerial pictures show pink-colored snow in the Presena glacier in the Italian Alps.

A prehistoric ocher mine has been discovered in a flooded cave complex in Mexico.

Researchers have discovered that enormous sea scorpions bigger than a human swam the oceans prior to the age of the dinosaurs.

A photographer has snapped a remarkable image of a young lion cub appearing to give a kiss on its mother's nose.

Israel launched a new spy satellite into orbit from a launchpad in the center of the country early Monday morning, the Defense Ministry said.

NASA experts have used radar technology to shed new light on the subsurface of the moon.

Just days after it spotted a "bat shadow," the Hubble Space Telescope has found a "feathered spiral" galaxy in deep space.

Just days after it pulled the plug on its rheumatoid arthritis drug to treat COVID-19, biotech company Regeneron said on Monday it was starting Phase III of its double-antibody treatment for the novel coronavirus.

The decapitated bodies of at least five sea lions found on the shores of Vancouver Island, Canada, over the past few months hint that there may be a marine-mammal serial killer on the loose, or perhaps someone who is lopping off the heads of already dead sea lions, according to news sources.

Skywatchers have been enjoying the buck moon or July full moon.

Choosing that Perfect Wine for a Dinner Party

Wine & Spirits Wine & Spirits