So a good friend of mine is having a 50th birthday party soon, and her husband is working on the wine selection. Both the husband and wife enjoy good wine. I’ll be advising him, so I’m curious as to what advice you would give in terms of categories of wines, and then specific wines within the categories. I know I’ll get “it depends” followed by 20,000 questions, but see what you can come up with based on the following situation:
Total party size is approx. 40-50 people. The guests are asked to dress up (e.g., suits & cocktail dresses).
Many/most of the guests like wine, but most aren’t “wine geeks.”
I don’t have the exact menu yet, but assume a buffet-style assortment of upscale appetizers, etc.
I don’t think the host needs to spend more than $30-$50/bottle, max.
The wines will be served in a separate location than the food. I suspect the wines will be served in a bar area in the living room, and the food will be spread out on a dining room table or such. Thus, you won’t be trying to pair specific wines with specific food items.
My host friend originally suggested Cabernet (Silver Oak, sigh), Pinot, and Chardonnay. My inclination is to have Champagne/sparkling wine and/or light-bodied white, and probably not Cabernet but lighter-bodied reds that pair better with a variety of food. While the wines don’t “have” to be mainstream, recognizable labels, this isn’t going to be an overly adventurous crowd–no really weird, funky, offbeat, or unusual wines.
I typically plan on about 1/2 bottle of wine per person at these sorts of non-wine geeky parties, so assume about 25 bottles in total, with perhaps as many as 30 in case you want to make sure you don’t run out.
So, with those guidelines, what general wine categories would you select, and what specific wines within those categories would you suggest? I have my own ideas, but I would be interested to see what my comrades in geekdom would suggest for a mostly non-geeky crowd.
Seriously, take thee to Stanford and Santa Monica Blvd. and see Roberto. Apparently he is REALLY good at this stuff and picks out off-beat wines that are not weird and are always more than well-received. Might be a lot more fun than cruising the aisles at Vons or trekking out to WHWC.
I am trying to figure out why, if the host suggested Cab, Chard and Pinot, you would stray from that? I am sure that you could come up with better reccomendations than what he/she origionally suggested (as far as wineries) but why stray from the suggested varietal list completely? I find that when someone says “I’m thinking this, that and the other thing.” it’s usually because that’s what they like.
Maybe because he’s asking for MY opinion…? That’s why, for example, I suggested he needed Champagne/sparkling wine, and I think he agrees with that. Also, in my experience Cabernet is NOT a good wine to pair with a wide variety of food…
Broadly speaking- American sparklers are great values IMO. For a cab, how about a 2007 Napa Cab with a lot of fruit and drinkability? I prefer white burgs for my chards so can’t help too much there unless you want a good village white burg. There are plenty of great appellation pinots out there in that range.
Specifically:
Roederer Estate NV from Anderson Valley is a perfect party sparkler.
Non wine geeks like two types of reds, big cabs and oaky pinots. What you think as light and perfectly matching with food = not enough flavor for them. THis is what i’ve been learning as for our firm dinners I’m told to pick the wines and people always end up wanting oaky/big fruit. Especially the partners/older folk
What did Silver Oak do on the marketing side to become so popular with the average wine drinker? They had not broke a 90 point score in a decade so what was the draw years ago?
Well, there WAS a time long ago, in the last century, when SO was actually very good and one of the “better” CA Cabernets. But now they make a ton of it, and yes they’ve successfully placed it in almost every major steakhouse…
Sounds like you could have a lot of fun with this. Here are my thoughts…
FInd out what the host and birthday gentleman likes to drink and specially buy wines for them…If he wants Silver Oak, Quintessa, Caymus or 2 Buck Chuck make sure he is getting what he wants for that night…it’s his day and he is the main goal.
With no food menu yet it’s safe to go with Pinot Noirs and maybe Cabernet Francs for reds. Sparkling wines I think is the right decision because lets be honest who doesnt love bubbles ? Other whites you could do are Sauvignon Blancs and RIeslings…maybe Pinot Gris/Grigio.
Had the 07 Napanook and thought it was a bit tight. I’d prefer something with just a bit more age. Silver Oak hasn’t impressed me much either and at $50 you’re probably talking Alexander Valley (I had a 2000 Napa Valley on NYE and it was quite nice. Obviously not appropriate).
If you have a budget, I would make sure to have enough wine and if that means buying slightly less expensive bottles, so be it. Nothing is worse than running out of alcohol at a party. I would not focus on well-known (read 'spensive) labels – better to find good QPRs.
Agree that you should serve champagne/sparkling too. It adds to a festive atmosphere and pairs very well with food. Schramsberg is easy to find and good value for money.
If you decide to go with a cab, Lot18 has 2005 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cab for $30/bottle. A very nice cab that drinks like a pinot and has just a touch of sweetness. I’ve had a lot of this juice lately and everyone who I’ve served it to has been very impressed with the quality of the wine.
FWIW, Lot18 (not affiliated in any way, just happen to like Cornerstone) also has the 2004 Howell Mountain that a friend/wine club member served on NYE. Drinking very well right now, but I would go with the Napa if I was buying for a party.
I attended a similar party last month, except it was a Holiday party and not a Birthday party. Similar number of people and similar price range for the bottles. Sparkling wine was very popular, as was the Landmark Overlook Chardonnay, which runs around $25 or less. The red that people liked was the Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, which is something like 50% Cab and 40% Merlot, plus some Petit, etc. That wine can be found for around $30. They also served an Acacia Pinot, which I did not try and have no idea about the price point, but it was popular. Hope this helps and have fun!
Hello. The problem with 1/2 a bottle per person is you don’t know what they are going to be drinking. I would get a case of each and save leftovers. I’ve done this several times for crowds with mixed wine experience and I would go with relative value:
NV Roederer Anderson Valley-great sparkler for the price.
Hofer Gruner Veltliner-Usually a fuller bodied style, packed with flavor and very versatile with food. Chardonnay lovers usually like this. ($11 for 1L)
Mas Donis (Spain)-Nice, full-flavored wine for the Cab lover. ($12-14)
Pinot-Here you can (need to) spend a little more. Entry level Patty Greene or Brewer-Clifton? ($30+)
For a party of this sort I’m going to suggest at least a few bottles of something I’d never touch myself - a run of the mill Pinot Grigio. Many casual wine drinkers are really looking for something light and inoffensive.
Of course you also need wines for people who want something they’d find more interesting so don’t load up on PG, but I learned the Pinot Grigio lesson at a party I threw many years ago when that was all some guests would drink (one of them brought a bottle and sulked until it was opened).
Some 2009 Beaujolais from a good producer might be one nice option for the more adventurous.
Yes, I’m going to try to convince him to get some of the 2009 Vissoux Beaujolais for around $25.
I got the menu today, and it looks fabulous. But there’s a total of TEN appetizers/dishes before you even get to dessert, so one of my goals is to help him select wines that will play nice with as many dishes as possible. I’m also going to see if I can sneak in Sancerre instead of some “name” oaky Chardonnay…
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Very food-friendly, too. Just a thought…