Party time

Gabriel Suk shows you how to buy wine for all your party needs

How much should you buy? How much should you spend? How many different kinds of wine? Buying wine for a party can be a stressful experience for the beginner.

But really all you need is a little planning. Start by considering what kind of shindig you’re throwing as this affects not only the type of wine to buy but also the accessories that accompany it.

For example, you wouldn’t buy an expensive rare vintage for a dance party; nor would you serve wine in a plastic cup at a formal wine dinner. To save you the trouble of starting from scratch, follow our rough guide.

The ‘party’ party

If you are having a large group of people over for a party with music and dancing, wine can be a great addition to the selection of beverages you have on offer. As people will be drinking other assorted alcoholic beverages, don’t bother with an elaborate wine spread. Instead, focus on a small selection of good but affordable bottles.

What: Have at least a red and a white. You want wines that are easy to understand and easy on your wallet, so go for New World wines. For red, try a New World shiraz or cabernet as both give the drinker an upfront taste of sweet fruit. Likewise, sauvignon blanc, with its clear citrus flavours, mixes well with finger food and will make an impression on the palate.

How much: If you think people are going to be consuming a fair amount of wine, get at least half a bottle per person with the assumption that they will also have a beer, water or other drinks throughout the night.

Gear: At least one wine glass per guest. Don’t worry about huge numbers of extras since people often switch glasses at such casual events. Have a bucket of water with a few ice cubes in to keep the temperature of the white reasonable, but don’t make it too cold that you freeze out all the flavour.

The ‘wine tasting’ party

With a big focus on the wine itself, it’s a good idea to have a theme for the night.

What: Home in on a specific varietal such as cabernet, a geographic region like Napa Valley or a vintage. Shoot under your guests’ wine knowledge level rather than over – keep obscure themes for serious wine friends.

How much: You’ll want a minimum of five wines with three quarters of a bottle for each guest. What you will need: For tastings you need one glass per person for each wine.

This can add up quickly, but this might be impetus to up your collection of glasses. You might also want to provide stationery for people to make tasting notes and, if time permits, a background sheet on the wines to help people understand them more and enhance the experience.

The ‘wine dinner’ party

Any dinner can incorporate wine, but not every dinner can necessarily be classed as a ‘wine dinner’. What does that mean? It means planning your meal around the wines rather than the other way around.

If this is the kind of party you’re going for, taste the wine, or at least read up on the bottles, beforehand, as this helps with the food selection. Then plan out a course for each wine, or if you don’t want to miss the entire dinner by being in the kitchen, serve two wines with each dish for a chance to taste and compare.

What: A good rule would be to prepare one champagne, two whites, three reds and a sweet wine. This allows for some solid culinary exploration and enough options for everyone to find something they like.

How much: Plan for about one bottle per person at the table with half a bottle per person for the sweet wine.

What you will need: You’ll need wine glasses for each different wine, and as it’s a dinner party it would be a nice touch to have proper glasses to suit each particular wine.

Stockists

ASC Fine Wines Seventh Floor, Tianjie Dasha, D Tower, The Place , A9, Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang district (65873808; www.asc-wines.com). 朝阳 区光华路甲9号世贸天阶大厦7层

Carrefour Fangyuan Building, A56 Zhongguancun Nan Dajie, Haidian district (8836 2729; www.carrefour.com.cn). 中关村南大街甲56号方圆 大厦. See website for more locations.

Top Cellar Central Park, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district (6597 0024; www.topcellar.com.cn). 朝阳门外大街6号新城国际. See website for more locations.