Entertaining? Here’s how to pick the best wine

Hosting an in-home gathering, while fun, is still full of stress points. A menu needs to be chosen, the dwelling needs to be cleaned and food needs to be prepped and prepared. And, of course, the appropriate adult beverages will need to be selected.

While it may be easy to put out a spread and let guest pick what they want, from cocktails to wine, it’s not always economical to purchase different booze and mixers. It is also elegant to be able to offer guests a beautiful bottle of wine that pairs perfectly with your meal. 

High-quality wines that exhibit concentrated flavors and have good balance will show well with an array of foods. To that, experts note that a Cabernet for the red wines selection and a fruit forward chardonnay would be the best picks for a crowd. This is because these wines will align with many different types of food, allowing for a choice in wine but still complementary. 

Another tip? As a host, pick a wine that means something to you or has a backstory. Hosts should plan to know a bit about the wine or explain a personal connection as a piece of the conversation, which will lead to a memorable event – no matter if the main course gets burned!