Serving Wine at Holiday Parties
By Jennifer Jordan
Have a Variety
Some people are under the impression that hosting a party involves purchasing the most expensive wine they can find, wine that would impress even the most seasoned connoisseur. However, when it comes down to it, the price of wine is not nearly as important as the variety.
Holiday parties typically consist of a large spread of food. From the pâté to the cheese balls, the months of November and December are like a giant buffet. Because of this, it’s important to cover your bases and purchase wine that is adaptable, wine that all types of food consider “easy to get along with.” The simplest way to do this is to cover all your bases by purchasing both red wine and white wine.
While there are certain vintages that are expensive, it’s relatively easy to find bottles that aren’t extremely high priced; with some searching, or asking the clerk at the local liquor store for help, you can buy red and white wines that won’t take away your ability to go holiday shopping, leaving you, ultimately, to holiday shoplift instead.
A Box is Your Friend
There is an unfavorable stigma attached to box wine, like lawyers or people obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. But, box wine is often a party staple. This is because it’s inexpensive, it’s convenient, the leftovers won’t spoil, and even if you don’t enjoy the taste of it, many others do.
Box wine was once the laughing stock of the wine world: people often equated it with cheap wine, it was only purchased by those who had a cash flow problem, and cases of Pinot Noirs were often found pointing and laughing, mocking the box wine from the comfort of their glass bottles. However, over the years this stigma has gone down the drain, and the box wine of today now stores a variety of wine, including wines that are premium.
Appease the Wine Folk
It’s a good idea to have a couple of bottles of something a little interesting to appease the wine snobs.
Take People Up on Their Offers
It is etiquette for those attending a party to offer to bring something – a casserole, a plate of cookies, a spinach dip. While you may have trouble accepting this gesture, thinking that you should be the one to generate all the party goods, keep in mind that many people who offer to bring something typically really want to.
People enjoy showing their gratitude and when they are able to contribute to a party, they feel as if they are given the opportunity to do just that. If a person asks you if they can bring anything, and you are stressing over the drink selection, simply request that they bring a bottle of wine. This not only assures that they will bring something they enjoy, but it also allows you to subtly shrug your shoulders and point your finger in their direction if others do not like it. That, after all, is what friends are for.
Holiday parties can be hard to plan. But, with the above tips, you should at least have the wine list taken care of, leaving you free to worry about food and décor instead.
More than anything, when it comes this time of year, keep in mind that the wine you serve at your holiday party shouldn’t be that important: the holidays are a time for camaraderie, family, and love, three entities that not even the most expensive vintage can ever rival.
Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.
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