How Many Bottles Of Wine Do You Need To Buy For A Dinner Party?

Procuring the right amount of wine is the backbone of a successful dinner party. Say things aren't going so well; you dropped the lasagna, the rice is dry, or the playlist keeps switching to your sad shower music — your saving grace will be keeping your guests' wine glasses topped off. And even if you manage to pull everything off without a hitch, you'll want to make sure the evening is properly lubricated. That's why you should generally plan to buy as many bottles as you have dinner guests.

Knowing a little bit about bottle volume, the number of guests, party duration, and average glasses consumed will set you up for success. Rachel Davis of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits notes that, on average, guests have two glasses in the first hour and an additional one each hour after. If a dinner party lasts four hours, then using Davis' rule you can expect guests to drink at least four glasses of wine. Since there are five standard 5-ounce glasses of wine in a 750-milliliter bottle, that comes out to almost a full bottle of wine per person. Davis notes one deviation from this rule occurs when serving champagne: Due to the smaller size of a champagne flute, you should expect six servings per bottle.

Something else to think about is your guest list and whether the people you've invited like wine or not. Bon Appétit went to the trouble of trying to estimate how many glasses of wine your guests might consume based on how much they like wine. The general consensus? Casual drinkers could consume as little as one glass, while oenophiles who can opine on the most underrated U.S. wine regions might be game for at least a handful of refills.

Keep in mind that wine can have varying alcohol percentages, and the higher the percentage the smaller the serving size. There are many styles that can have alcohol content upwards of 20%. Port and vermouth are examples of fortified wines that can be used as digestifs to end a meal on.

In practice, pouring wine is a rough estimation and increases in variability when guests are serving themselves. Some people like lighter pours so they can swirl, aerate, and sample different bottles, while others may prefer 6 or 7 ounces so they don't have to keep getting up for more. If you're still not sure, it's better to err on the side of caution and pick up an extra bottle.