How many bottles for the table?

The arithmetic of a good evening

Nobody remembers the party where a few bottles went unopened. Everybody remembers the one where the wine ran out at half past nine. The maths is simple enough: guests drink roughly two glasses in the first hour, when everyone is standing and talking, and about one glass an hour after that, when dinner slows things down. A standard bottle pours five honest glasses. This calculator does that sum for you and rounds up, because an unopened bottle keeps and a dry table does not.

Quick count for a three-hour party

These numbers assume a standard pour: two glasses in the first hour, one in each later hour, and five 150 ml glasses per bottle. The mixed-drinks column assumes wine supplies 60% of the drinks. Use the calculator above when the evening is shorter, longer, or more generous.

Getting the split right

A single grape never suits a whole table. Our default split leans red, because reds carry a dinner, with enough white for the fish course and the guests who never left Sauvignon Blanc, a few bottles of sparkling for the arrival, and a nod of rosé. If you want the split matched to the actual menu rather than a rule of thumb, run your main course through the pairing finder, and chill everything to the right temperature with the serving guide.