How to Pick Wines for a Gathering
At Bacchus Wines PLDC, we love hosting gatherings, and our founders, Trond and Pierre-Loup, are masters of soirees. Whether it’s a small dinner party for family or a summer BBQ for neighbours and friends, we all love to throw a little gathering to make our nearest and dearest smile. Picking the right food for the occasion is one thing, but buying the right wine can be a challenge if you want to make everyone happy.
Here are some tips for picking wines for your party.
First and foremost, decide on numbers and always allow for extra guests. We’re generous, so a minimum of two bottles per person policy is an excellent place to start. There is nothing worse than running out of wine!
When it comes to food, pairing is reasonably straightforward for the eating part, but picking wines for simple enjoyment can be tricky because we all have such different tastes. As a result, we often choose a white, red and rosé as a base for the gathering and add sparkling to begin with, and a dessert wine to finish off.
We also consider seasonality. A perfect wine for the summer months will differ from a wine ideal for winter. There’s more scope for suitability with spring and autumn wines, as lines are further blurred with the unpredictability of the seasons, so consider the options before writing the wine list.
Your most important consideration should be who you are inviting. Are your guests’ traditional red wine only drinkers? Or adventurous and open to ideas? Will they want an easy-drinking wine or something to throw them into a flavour frenzy? Do you wish to surprise or impress your friends? Or ease them into your soiree without too much fuss?
The good news is that we have wines to suit every taste, occasion, and persuasion. Our wines are also criminally affordable, so the case you buy won’t break the bank and will definitely impress your guests.
We’ve picked three of our favourite wines ideal for springtime gatherings. They hold their own with or without food and are produced by the award-winning Château de Parenchère.
White Wine
For a great all-rounder white wine that’s delicious with food and on its own, the Bordeaux Blanc-Sec is ideal. The white wine boasts intense white and citrus fruit aromas with a fresh and rounded finish. The 70% Sauvignon, 20% Sémillon and 10% Muscadelle blend create a fleshy wine with aromatic and sustained notes of white flowers. The Bordeaux Blanc-Sec is perfect with fish and seafood and delicious to enjoy all on its own. This white wine has won several awards, which inevitably creates an air of class.
Rosé Wine
The Bordeaux Clairet 2020 is a particularly aromatic wine with deep red fruit colour. It is more substantial than traditional rosés, with a good body and exuberant fruitiness without any saccharine-like sweetness. With 100 % Merlot grapes, this Clairet offers suppleness, fruitiness, and roundness.
The pronounced structure of this rosé makes it a perfect wine for spicy or Mediterranean food, but we love it on its own too. The Bordeaux Clairet has won a few awards, which is undoubtedly a good conversation starter.
Red Wine
L’Équilibriste Bordeaux Rouge boasts the classic structure of red Bordeaux wines with great aromas. It is a beautiful deep purple-red colour with intense nuances of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry and notes of peony and violet. On the palate, it is round, with crunchy and juicy fruit. Mineral and floral flavours continue on a subtle and silky tannic framework. The 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot blend offer aromatic finesse, fruitiness, and roundness, ideal with roasted vegetables, grilled shellfish, or charcuterie.
L’Équilibriste Bordeaux Rouge is made without the addition of sulphites which the wine critics and the public have highly applauded. It’s also an award winner, so you cannot go wrong with this little red number.