Looking for a Wine to Bring to Dinner? Don’t Show Up Without One of These Bottles
Always heed your mother’s advice: never arrive at a dinner empty-handed. Flowers can be a lovely gesture, or you might consider a thoughtful gift for the host’s home. However, a memorable dinner party is often enhanced by good wine, so choosing a nice bottle is usually a safe bet.
The challenge lies in selecting the right wine. You want one that pairs well with food yet is delightful on its own—a wine that captivates and excites all guests without being overly polarizing or too unconventional.
Here are the types of bottles that sommeliers recommend for various dinner parties :
Best Red Wine for Traditional Holiday Meals: Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon
" Smooth. Warms your whole mouth and body. The tannic and acidity dance together with such... choreography! Fortunate enough to enjoy this at the Alpha Omega Collective tasting room in Napa. "
-David Ellis, Vivino
Best White Wines for Traditional Holiday Meals: Aromatic Varietals
"Nose has lemon, grassy, hay. A little bit of buttered popcorn. Tasted lots of pear, honeydew. Some pineapple and oddly cashew nuts on back finish. Acidity is really balanced. Really like this bottle. "
-Steve H, Vivino
Best Sparkling Wine for Traditional Holiday Meals: Finger Lakes Sparkler
" Nice dry bubbly from the Finger Lakes."
-Sally Macnamara, Vivino
Best Wine for Vegetarian Feasts: Earthy Riesling Wines
" Excellent. Lime, underripe nectarine, green pear, and green apple. Mild saline minerality. Vibrant acidity. Well integrated. "
-Adnan Qalbani, Vivino
Best Red Wine for Barbecue & Grilling: Tuscan Reds
"Of all the vintages I have drunk, one of the best Sassicaia ever. Supple and beautifully defined, with black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit augmented by tobacco, iron and thyme. Firmly structured, tightening up as this lingers with an aftertaste of dark fruit, graphite and spice. Shows a sense of elegance as well as power and intensity. "
-Adrian N, Vivino
Food-Friendly Red Wine for any Type of Meal: Spanish Reds
"Yes I would grab it again. Medium Body, black Icherry tobacco dark fruit earthy plum wine. Smooth finish. Medium tannins."
-Bennie Shaw, Vivino
To Bring as a Gift: Champagne
" The nose is complex, combining floral (white flowers) and fruity (apricot, mirabelle plum) aromas with a pleasant minty freshness and subtle ashy notes that give the champagne a tasty minerality. In the mouth it is precise and grandiose. The palate brings aromas of ginger, tobacco and toasted notes, followed by a tight and persistent finish."
-Vinosaurus - Béla G, Vivino
